Defensive line coach Ben Bloom (11.10.23)
Well another easy one for you guys Sunday, huh?
“There are no easy ones, Zac (Jackson).”
Obviously, Lamar (Jackson) is really good in their room. From your standpoint, what stands out when you watch the Ravens?
“The Ravens? You know, they’re a well-balanced offense. They have the ability to run the ball well with different schemes. They have multiple running backs they use. Running backs with different styles, different body types. They have a physical line O line. They’re well-coached. It’s the same O line coach that’s been there since I’ve been part of the Browns this time around. So those same things that show up in terms of how they block the schemes they use. The way they like to attack defenses, there’s some consistency there. And then obviously the quarterback, he’s one of the best players in the NFL. You got to give him credit for that. I mean, he’s consistently playing at a really high level. He’s always a threat as a runner, whether it’s a designed run where he has the option to keep it, or when he’s scrambling or running around when it’s a pass play and then he’s throwing the ball well, he’s seeing the field well. He’s making quick decisions when he extends plays. He’s got the ability to throw the ball down the field, accurate, quick release. He’s got a good group of receivers to throw to. So, it’s a really good offense. They’re doing a great job over there.”
Is the uniqueness of their running game, as simple as they have Lamar or why else is it always one of those run games that defenses consider to be unique to go against?
“Well, I mean, because you have Lamar or a quarterback like Lamar on offense, you have the ability to read a D end usually, and based on what that D end or edge player does, the quarterback can keep it, right? So that exists in a lot of offenses in the NFL. Certainly, existed a lot with the Cardinals, with (Josh) Dobbs when we were preparing. I know Dobbs didn’t play in the game versus us, but those know existed with Dobbs there. Exists with Lamar, of course, and then with other offenses in the league. Yeah, the fact that Lamar is a very good athlete, he can create explosive plays with his feet. That part’s unique. And then they do a good job of mixing the run schemes with the quarterback read element. They can do it with zone, they can do it with a gap scheme, with pullers. So you have to really be on your details in terms of the physicality you play with and the technique you play with and where your eyes are at in order to all be on the same page to stop that run game. So, I think it’s a combination of having Lamar, the different actual run schemes they use with their read package, and then they have a good O line. They’re physical, they’re well coached, they have good running backs as I said before, bigger guys, smaller guys, faster guys, powerful guys. So yeah, that whole package is a challenge which we’re excited to go up against on Sunday.”
Would you say the keys are to doing a better job against their run game than you guys did in October?
“Yeah, I think it’s going to be a group effort that starts up front. We’re the engine of the defense. Our job is to get off the ball, to penetrate, to disrupt, to mess things up, let the guys behind us clean things up and make it real clear and obvious to them on where they need to be, talking about where the linebackers and the safeties and then the corners fit off of us. So we got to do a better job upfront. We got to be more physical in our one-on-one blocks and we need to shed and get off blocks better than we did in the first game. Also for the ends, we just have to do a great job setting edges, closing, dealing with the pullers because they pull a lot. So, we have to do a better job up front. The guys, our guys, the D lineman, they’ve done a good job practicing this week and they know the task at hand and I’m proud of the way they worked. And then it’s going to take all eleven of us to do it and to execute it in a manner that helps us win the game.”
The fact that Lamar has fumbled the ball ten times and has lost six. I’m sure that something has not been lost on your guys. Do you feel like he can disrupt him in that way?
“Yeah, I mean, we’re trying to take the ball away every game, regardless of who the quarterback is. So, part of our weekly routine, Mary Kay (Cabot), is we’ll watch the quarterback, see how he moves in the pocket, see his behavior when he gets pressure, how he holds the ball. And we’ve done that verse every quarterback we go against. That’s something we do early in the week. And of course, there are going to be opportunities this week just like there is every week. Yeah, your stats are accurate and we know them, regarding them, but it’s really about us and it’s about our ability to get off the ball, attack and win our one-on-one rushes and finish together. We’re going to need four guys rushing together relentlessly throughout the game to accomplish those types of things and get the ball for our team.”
Was Shelby’s (Harris) takeaway last week exactly how you teach it?
“Yes. Well, it’s funny because it’s a really good question because he had a similar play in the preseason game versus Kansas City. It wasn’t the exact same call on defense, it wasn’t the exact same technique, but on that play, he ended up on the edge of the guard and we call it run, run, reach. So, you’re running, you got to close the distance to the quarterback first, and then you reach late or reach on time so you can get the ball out. If you reach and then run, you’re going to be too slow. So that’s why we call it run, run, reach. And as you’re doing that, you have to lean and rotate so that you don’t go up the field, you got to go toward the quarterback. He did that really well in the Kansas City game, and that’s something we talk about every week. We drill it every week. You just don’t always get the opportunity to do that in the game. But when that opportunity presents itself, you better cash in and Shelby did. It’s a credit to him. I mean, he’s got really long arms and really good feel for the ball. That’s why he’s had a lot of batted balls in his career and had some sack fumbles. But then just, I think the way he practiced last week, the details that he played with, he did a version of that in practice a couple of times. So, when the opportunity was in the game, it was just autopilot, go make the play, and it was a big play in the game.”
Obviously celebrating last week was easy, but it seems like they really like each other. Do you get that vibe and is that something that matters as you’re building the group?
“Yeah, these guys work really, really well together. It’s something that we’ve worked collectively on creating and developing as early as training camp. Our meeting schedule works as such where I try not to have them listen to me talk for more than 30 or 40 minutes at a time and give breaks. We all can use that mental reset. Sometimes we have to check our Instagram or something like that, use the bathroom, get a snack. Like, all those things are really important, too. I understand that, but in those breaks, there are a lot of times where they’re just hanging out together, getting to know each other, and I saw that develop in the Greenbrier, for sure, or at the Greenbrier. And I think once you get back here in the regular season starts, it’s a little different of a dynamic. You’re not together as much because you’re not in the training camp mode and the stresses are different. You’re preparing for an opponent, you’re playing every week, guys are getting sore. Their families are around. They got other deals in their life that can distract them from football and from their teammates, and that’s natural. And I think as a group, we’ve worked through that through the beginning part of the season. What you’re seeing now is a group that’s pretty tight. You got veterans, guys like Myles (Garrett), Shelby and Z (Za’Darius Smith), you know Ogbo (Okoronkwo), Jordan (Elliott), who have been in the league for a while, Dalvin (Tomlinson), even Mo (Maurice Hurst) right, taking the lead in their own way. They all have different personalities and you got these younger guys, these rookies or these first and second-year players that are ingraining themselves in the group. And it’s great because you see some mentorship going on. You see guys learning from the vets. They’re having fun together, they’re working, and you want to have fun while you work. But make no mistake about it, like, we got to work, so it can’t be all hehe, haha lollipops and cotton candy all the time. But what they’ve done is they’ve been working, they’ve been real intentional about getting better and making each other better and then having fun together at the same time. And yeah, I think that’s if you want to be really good, you got to do both because now you’re going to play for each other.”
Do you take Instagram breaks, too?
“Look. What year is this? 2023. So Instagram, I would say Facebook, but I don’t think – that was bigger when I was in college. So, MySpace, we moved on from that, too. So, Twitter, I guess.”
Jordan being like the lone holdover on that interior line from last year, just how those new guys helped him elevate his game. It seems like he’s unlocked something and made a bit of a jump this year.
“Yeah, I mean, look – I think the D tackle is one of the hardest positions to play in the NFL. I mean, things happen really fast inside and you’re dealing with the biggest, strongest people on the field on a consistent basis. So I think any guy, yeah, you can say he unlocked some stuff, but I think he’s just getting better and learning. This is our first year together for me and Jordan, me coaching the position. So he’s just taken such a strong ownership of his position, of doing his job and focusing in on the little things really well about getting off the ball as a two technique, as a three-technique, playing attack football, using his hands, taking the feet, his feet in the right direction, and he’s been doing a great job in the run game in that regard, but I’m so proud of how he’s growing and improving as a pass rusher. Everybody, pass rushes a little different. Everyone’s got a different style. It’s definitely more of an art than a science, whereas run defense is a little bit of a science. This is how we’re going to do it. But as a pass rusher, he’s finding what works for him and he’s experimenting with it and he’s taken coaching, he’s listening to suggestions and he just keeps getting better with using his power, using his escapes off his power, using his long arms. So, I just see a guy that’s working and getting better and sometimes it takes a couple of years for guys and I’m just so proud of what he’s doing because he’s kicking butt for us.”
What about Myles’ personality to be a leader with this specific group that works so well for them?
“You know, Myles is a generous guy. He loves sharing. You know, he’s got such a wealth of information on how to rush the pass or how to play the run, how to play football in general. Some of it comes naturally to him, but other things he works at to get better and his humility and willingness to share and generosity with the group is noted. I mean, you get a guy like Myles with all his accolades and he’s going to share with you and offer you something that can help you. You’re going to listen. And his willingness to do that, I think that’s been so good for our group. Never mind the way he practices and works because he just handles everything the right way and just works his butt off and he’s so detailed. So, his example alone is leadership. But I think his willingness to share and to help the younger guys and his peers and work with the other guys around him is also off the chart.”
How has he been able to take another step from what was already a really high level?
“Everyone says he’s like taking another step and maybe he has. I’ve always seen this terrific player that makes a lot of big-time plays. I just think he’s at a point in his career where he’s played so much and he’s learned so much about the game. He’s probably in a little bit of a sweet spot where he’s still young, relatively, and then he’s got all this experience and he’s accomplished so much statistically that you can tell what’s important to him right now is helping the team win. Now, a lot of the time it’s him making tackles and sacking the quarterback so he’s killing two birds with 1 St there but at the other time he’s doing a lot of selfless stuff on the field too the way he’s playing the run, setting edges, attacking pullers, closing on the backside when we call blitzes and he’s got a stunt inside, he does a great job with that. So he’s really a multidimensional player. He’s worked on rushing from different spots not just in one spot. We all have seen him move around and that’s a testament to his willingness to work and to try new things and to learn and improve. Again, I think that’s a little bit of the natural trajectory of someone’s career, right? You look for different ways to get better and help the team win and it goes back to his hard work, his selflessness and his desire to help the team win. So, we’re real lucky and I’m fortunate to be around him every day.”
# # #
***Visit the Browns Media Center for materials provided by the Browns communications department, including media schedules, press releases, quotes, photos, media guides, rosters, depth charts and more.***