COURTESY OF BALTIMORE RAVENS MEDIA RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
How is it training with G D.J. Fluker? (Ximena Lugo-Latorre) “It’s going really good. D.J. [Fluker] is somebody who works hard. He came in here with the mentality that he wants to do his best for the team and for the O-line, and he’s giving it everything he’s got. I’ve been really impressed with his work ethic and his drive and his focus every day at practice.”
Now in your third year, G Marshal Yanda is not there on the right side, do you feel any more pressure or want to be more of a leader on that offensive line? And maybe [what are] some of the things you learned from Marshal that you can take into developing that role? (Pete Gilbert) “It’s only natural, I think, as a football player that’s been in a system for three years, to want to be a better player, to want to be a better leader, to go on and do better as I get older. What Marshal [Yanda] did here, it’s going to be so hard to replicate. It doesn’t matter, really, who you are and what you’re capable of. He was just so important and so special to our offensive line room, as well as the franchise. Just the lessons and things he taught me as a young player through the first two years of my career … Just an understanding now and creating it and living your life a certain way to where you’re productive as an offensive lineman, as a football player. It’s hard to replicate what he was. At the end of the day, I’m approaching this year with the mentality that I have to get better. Obviously, I didn’t do everything that I needed to do to help us win against Tennessee [2019 Divisional game]. At the end of the day, that’s the ultimate goal – is win a Super Bowl. Whatever that is, whatever the coaches want from me, whatever the team wants from me, from myself, I want to be a better player and I want to be a better leader.”
Where are you in your development? You’ve got T Ronnie Stanley on one side – All-Pro. You’re a Pro Bowler. Are you one of the best right tackles in the league? Or do you still have a ways to go before you put yourself in that category? (Kirk McEwen)”I’ve still got a ways to go. At the end of the day, your top guys are your top guys, and they’ve been consistent [and] they’ve been proven over the years, over the last four or five years – and that’s [Saints] Ryan Ramczyk, that’s [Raiders] Trent Brown, that’s [Cowboys] La’el Collins, that’s [Chiefs] Mitchell Schwartz, it’s a long list of guys … [Eagles] Lane Johnson – it just keeps going. But there are guys who have been in this league longer than me and have been just as productive and more consistent over the years. I’m not there yet. At some point, I’ll get there. That’s where I’m working to get – is chasing the guys at the top. At some point when you get there, elevating your game even more.”
Have you had a chance to talk to DE Calais Campbell about how your game is and what you can improve on [with] your game? How great is it to play against him day-in and day-out? (Kevin Richardson) “I talk to Calais [Campbell] all the time. He’s such an incredible talent. He’s a great teammate. We found that out at the Pro Bowl this year. Now, I think he’s just connected, really, with all the Ravens guys and with all the coaches as well. Having him here in the building, being able to practice against him every day, walk-through against him, asking questions, it’s been so beneficial. He’s a different type of player. He’s somebody who … Very rarely do I go against someone that’s my height, my length, similar [to] my weight, we’re similar in strength. So, it’s different for me and it allows you to, I guess, develop in a certain way, understanding how to play the position in a different way. And I think at the end of the day, because of
how good he is … (inaudible)…”
When we were talking to CB Marlon Humphrey, he was talking about how the Super Bowl was, really, his only goal, after having personal goals in the past. Looks like a pretty obvious thing to talk about a Super Bowl as one of your goals. But considering the way your season ended last year as a team, how is this vibe different maybe than past years when you think about long-term goals? (Aaron Kasinitz) “At the end of the day, as a team, it starts by winning our division in the AFC North, winning our conference and then, obviously, doing what we have to do to get to the Super Bowl and winning that. It starts with the small goals, and that’s one week at a time, taking it. As of right now, the focus is on Cleveland. After that, the focus will be on whoever we play, and so on and so forth. I think long-term, we all want to have the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl. But we understand that it’s the small goals that come first, and that’s week-to-week. That’s what the NFL is – it’s a bunch of great teams who we’re going to play this year. So, that’s our main focus.”
This is, obviously, a historic year. You’re preparing for a football season in which one of the factors is avoiding a virus and spreading a virus. How big is that weighing on you guys, league-wide, I guess you can say, as you try to get through a season coming up? (Mark Viviano) “I trust the guys in this building. They trust us, our coaches are trusting us, the front office is trusting us to make sure that we continue to maintain our negative test results as a team. It’s scary, in a way, because we don’t understand the effects of this virus long-term, from an individual standpoint. If I get it, is this something that’s going to affect me for the next 10 years? Where[as] if somebody else catches it, it may only be for five or six months. That’s really just where all the uncertainty, for me, kind of comes from. Ultimately, I’m locked in for the season; I’m ready to play some ball. It’s unfortunate that things haven’t been taking care of from the virus standpoint and we’re not able to get it under control, I guess, as a nation. Hopefully, we get to that point. Right now, I’m really focused on being ready Week One, and like I said, taking it week-by-week.”
Today was the first day with pads on. How good did that feel to [take] the next step towards real football? How different was the energy level today? (Shawn Stepner)”Really different – we’ve got a great team and we’ve got a lot of confident players, a lot of confident coaches that trust in us, that trust in our scheme. Players that trust in their abilities and talents and work ethic. It was just exciting to finally get out there and be able to play some real ball with the pads on, be able to physically grab and move guys and hold them, and all of that different stuff – it’s exciting. We were all super excited to get back in the building two weeks ago. It was a whole other level of energy today.”
There’s a report that [free agent] WR Dez Bryant is visiting the Ravens for a possible workout. What would it be like … Because I’m sure you watched him growing up. What would it be like to have a Dez Bryant on the Ravens? (Jamison Hensley) “I can, honestly, only speak from what I’ve seen on film, and he’s a great talent. He’s clearly one of the best to play in a Cowboys’ uniform. If we do sign him, I’m sure he’s ready to go. They make great decisions upstairs.”
