Defensive Coordinator Joe Woods (12.14.22)
On if there is additional prep this week due to the uncertainty of who will start at QB for the Ravens:
“We definitely are taking a look at all three quarterbacks. Very similar. I don’t feel like the offense changes that much, just watching the plays that (Ravens QB Tyler) Huntley had. I think they will keep it the same. They might not call as much stuff they call with (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) if one of the other guys played, but it is very similar. We saw Huntley last year. He brought the team back so I am sure they feel confident in what he did against us last year.”
On LB Jeramiah Owusu-Koramoah’s performance this season prior to being placed on injured reserve this week:
“It was good. There were obviously some ups and downs. When you are not playing well defensively at times and when you are not winning games, guys are trying to make plays were all you really have to do is do your job. I think for him just because he is so athletic and so dynamic, there were times where he tried to make some plays that he shouldn’t have that led to problems, but I felt like as we went through the season, he got better in terms of that.”
On if the Browns defense could have done something different schematically last week to defend Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase following injuries to other Bengals WRs:
“This year is weird because we get extremes. Ja’Marr had [15] targets. They did some things to move him around. If you remember last year, I think we had six or seven one on ones against him and we won them. (CB) Denzel (Ward) had one pick and created another pick. I feel confident in the DBs we have. There was some straight man coverage on him, but we did double him and we did have zone coverage around him. In those [15] targets, I think we had six one on ones – Denzel won three, he won two and then we had the one penalty. All of the other catches were really in zone coverage or fire zone coverage. Going back, if they get extreme, then you have to get extreme. There are some other things thinking through it that we could do defensively, but structurally, it would be different than what we are accustomed to doing.”
On how tough it is to make drastic in-game alterations to a week’s gameplan, referring to last week and the Bengals WRs sustaining injuries:
“It is [difficult]. Like sometimes, just to give you an example if it is first-and-10 and they are running the ball 85 percent of the time, you don’t want to go be light in the box and go double a receiver. It really depends on the situation of the game how aggressive we can get in terms of the coverage. That is where they did a nice job. There are some things we can carry moving forward if teams are going to be that extreme in what they are doing.”
On if he has ever experienced four season-ending injuries to one position group in a season as has occurred with the Browns LBs
“To be honest, no, just to have four guys go down. Going into it, felt really good about the guys we had coming back and the young guys developing the depth we had. To have those guys go down, it is tough, but it is the reality in the NFL. It is always the next man up mentality. I feel good about the guys who are playing for us. They feel confident. They are doing good things. To answer your question, no, it hasn’t happened to me before.”
On what led to the Bengals TD on a flea-flicker:
“The corner should have stayed on and (S) Grant (Delpit) should stay underneath the route. They caught us in a good coverage, but just in terms of us executing our responsibilities, that is where we were off.”
On if Delpit and CB Martin Emerson Jr. were the players noted on the flea-flicker:
“Yeah because Martin will stay up with him and Grant will be underneath him, but they both got caught looking in the backfield on play-action.”
On if LB Reggie Ragland will play on Saturday, particularly after injuries at LB:
“Absolutely. Have no choice. (laughter). I can’t play (laughter).”
On the Ravens’ rushing attack, including with Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins returning and the Browns having additional injuries at LB:
“I am confident. I believe in the system. I know the coaches have been working hard just in terms of teaching some of our gameplan stuff against Baltimore. We will get a good look at it today and see where we are with it. I have total confidence in the guys playing. They are proven players who have played in the league. I know they will rise up to the occasion.”
On if this season has made him rethink how, when and where to use Owusu-Koramoah:
“I think that has always been part of the plan. You remember coming out of college, he always played out on No. 2 so he played more like a nickel or he was rushing off the edge. We knew there was going to be a learning curve in terms of him learning how to play in the box. I feel like he handled that well. I think he is going to continue to grow. Again, he is so dynamic, and he is such a good playmaker. He just has to rely on doing his job, and the plays will come his way.”
On if the Ravens could potentially call an extreme number of running plays this week, given the Ravens QB situation:
“Yes. You think about all that stuff. Driving home, it feels like it takes me an hour. You have all of those thoughts. For me and the defensive staff, we talk about those things and just like what plan do we have or what adjustment will we have if this happens. You want to prepare yourself that way, but I do feel like we will see. They will run their offense, but I feel like we will get a lot more run.”
On the Browns defense having a stretch of strong performances recently:
“It is never good enough if you don’t win, but I feel like we are playing more consistent. It is just we had that stretch where one, two or three series where we just don’t play as well. The last game after the penalty on the punt return team, it was just kind of like we just exhaled, and we went back out there and we just made some mistakes. Defensively, you have to have a blade of grass mentality. It doesn’t matter what the situation is, you have to go out there and stop them.”
On Bengals RB Samaje Perine’s rushing TD and it appearing like Browns players assumed Perine was down:
“Not good. Just assuming that he was down. You can never assume that. That is just something that can never happen.”
On DT Perrion Winfrey’s improvement:
“He is definitely improving. From when he got here to now is like night and day. That is part of maturing as a person and also learning how to become a professional. In the NFL, it is a job. It is different than college, and I think he is figuring that out. It is probably taking him a little bit longer than some other guys, but he is definitely improving on and off the field.”
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