- 27 minutes ago
Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta joins Bruce & Femi to break down the offseason, from draft night nerves to the truth about Keaton Mitchell’s departure. Is a third MVP on the way for Lamar Jackson? DeCosta discusses Lamar's "locked in" energy and the evolution of the Baltimore offense.
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00:00Joining us now, he's with us, Ravens General Manager Eric DaCosta.
00:04Eric, Bruce Cunningham, Femi, I am Badesia.
00:06It's an honor to have you on, sir.
00:09How are you guys doing?
00:10Doing good.
00:11What's up, E?
00:12What's going on, guys?
00:13My first question for you, Eric.
00:15Are you getting any sleep?
00:17I was worried about you there.
00:19Yeah, I know.
00:20I got some sleep, but, you know, I've been dealing with a little,
00:23I don't want to sound too old, but I've been dealing with a little bit of a back issue.
00:26So, you know, it wasn't really bothering me much before the draft.
00:31And then once the draft ended, it started just kind of flanning up.
00:33So I am getting some sleep, but I'm trying to also get myself back to fighting form.
00:39Yeah.
00:40Hey, Eric, so a question for you about the building, more about the vibe and the energy.
00:45You know, I know obviously you and John have been doing it so long together,
00:48and now you have a bunch of new staff and, you know, these young guys.
00:52How has your job changed, and how has the vibe in the building changed?
00:56And I don't mean this as in a better or worse thing.
00:58Just how is it different with this change for you?
01:01Because obviously it's been so long since this kind of, you know,
01:04this monumental, you know, change to the organization.
01:08And, you know, I just want to kind of hear where you're at with that.
01:11Yeah, I mean, I don't think the vibe that I've noticed is really,
01:14from my standpoint, has changed much.
01:17I've been really immersed in the draft, been out to practice a little bit.
01:22Practice is very up-tempo, but there's been a lot of teaching.
01:27And, you know, the energy is good.
01:30I would say that, you know, for me specifically, there was a change in that,
01:35you know, we had to sort of instruct the coaches how we go through the process of the draft
01:40and free agency and things like that.
01:42Interesting, yeah.
01:42How the combine works, what our grading scale is, what the meeting schedule looks like,
01:47how the meetings are run, you know, what their role is going to be in terms of writing reports
01:51and stuff like that.
01:52There was an adjustment there.
01:54And for that, you know, I think Mark Acevedo, Joyce Kokinas, Andrew Raphael,
01:59those guys did a great job, you know, working hands-on-hand with those guys,
02:04walking them through the process of what the combine was going to look like
02:06and how we do our interviews and things.
02:09You know, I've had individual conversations with the coordinators and the coaches
02:13and especially Jesse, just trying to understand what their vision would be
02:17for the team and for players and different things.
02:19A big part of what we do is really listening to the coaches,
02:22trying to get a sense for what their offense is going to look like,
02:25what their defense is going to look like, what kind of personnel do they want to use.
02:28You know, so an example would be, you know, we've always been a fullback team,
02:32one of a few fullback teams.
02:34And in talking to Declan, even during the interview process,
02:39it was apparent that we weren't going to be a fullback team.
02:42We were going to probably be a three or four tight end team instead.
02:46And so those kind of things get layered into the discussions that we have
02:49about what we want the roster to look like.
02:51And then what kind of safeties does Jesse and Anthony,
02:55what do they want for their defense?
02:57And, you know, what's the role of the fourth or fifth linebacker going to be
03:01versus what it used to be and all these kinds of things.
03:04And then how the special teams get factored in.
03:06And when do we practice special teams in the beginning of practice,
03:10end of practice, in the middle, all these different things.
03:13So there's an adjustment for sure.
03:15But I think that it's still football.
03:18Coaches are coaches.
03:19They're all kind of wired the same way, generally speaking.
03:23And then we're just excited.
03:25Their enthusiasm, I think, is what I've noticed.
03:27We had them in the draft room this year.
03:29A lot of these guys came from college.
03:31And they've never been in the draft room during the draft.
03:34And so the fifth round this year, in the fifth round,
03:37we brought the coaches in so they could experience it right up close and personal.
03:40That's cool.
03:41That's really cool.
03:41I love watching your reactions on YouTube.
03:44Guys crying and everything, you know.
03:45But, you know, it's funny.
03:47Maybe it's because I cover the team or follow you guys, Eric.
03:50But it seemed like the guys you drafted were a little happier maybe than some of the other guys.
03:54Is that just me or did you see that too?
03:58I don't know.
03:59I'm so wrapped up in the minute.
04:01I don't know.
04:04You know, I'll tell you, it is, when you draft these guys, it's a special feeling.
04:10Oh, yeah.
04:11You know, when you get them on the phone and you can hear the emotion in your voices
04:16and the trepidation and they're nervous and they're not really sure if this is going to happen.
04:20And, you know, you hear nothing in the background except for them.
04:23And they're very quiet usually.
04:25Well, most of these guys are quiet.
04:26Not all of them, but most of them are quiet.
04:28And then all of a sudden you say to them, well, we're going to turn the pick in.
04:31Your name is going to be on the TV in a second.
04:32And then you hear their families just erupt.
04:35That's great.
04:35It's a lifetime memory that I'll always have.
04:38You know, I could tell you every call basically what it was like.
04:43And there's a bond.
04:45You know, we're connected now.
04:46I'm connected to these guys.
04:48And that was, you know, one of the reasons why, you know, when we were joking in Florida,
04:53Steve said, well, how come I've never had a chance to make a pick?
04:56And I said, I want you to make a pick.
04:58Because I wanted Steve to feel a lot of ways.
05:01I wanted him to feel that nervousness.
05:04And he did.
05:05He came around the table.
05:06And, you know, I've said this a few times.
05:07I'm not giving anything away.
05:08But he came around the table and he said, I'm not sure if I can do this.
05:12This is really hard.
05:13I'm nervous.
05:15And I said, just go with your gut.
05:17You know, go with your gut.
05:18Eric, if the kid makes all pro, then he's got you forever.
05:21Steve does.
05:22You know that, right?
05:23That's fine.
05:24He can make all the picks.
05:25You know, I love, you know, if somebody can make better picks than me, I would love to give them
05:31the chance to do that.
05:32You know?
05:33Eric, speaking of free agency, what's the situation around Javion Clowney?
05:38Is it possible that a veteran like him or another veteran like a Joey Bosa, do you feel good about
05:43the edge room?
05:43Or is there potential guys out there, maybe potentially even a guy June 1st cut?
05:48What are your thoughts on the edge position going forward?
05:51You know, it just depends, I think.
05:53You know, right now we've got, you know, Trey.
05:56We feel really good about him.
05:57We've got Tavius.
05:58We've got Mike Green.
05:59And we just drafted Zion, not to mention Adisa.
06:03So it's hard to give these guys enough reps as it is at times, especially the way we use them,
06:08where we rotate these guys.
06:10And most of them, most of our guys are getting somewhere between 30 and 40 reps.
06:15One thing I learned years ago, we traded for Yannick Ngakwe.
06:19And as a player that I loved, you know, I loved him coming out and I always enjoyed his game.
06:24Great pass rusher.
06:26And he was, like, really talented, but he didn't want to come off the field.
06:32And that wasn't the way that we used our outside backers.
06:35That wasn't the way that Wink used his outside backers.
06:38We had a rotation.
06:39We had Judon.
06:41We had Ngakwe.
06:41And we had, I think, Zardarius, maybe.
06:43And we had some other guys.
06:44And he didn't want to come off the field.
06:48And I get that mentality.
06:50But that mentality is not, you know, for everybody.
06:52And it's our team, it's a matter of reps.
06:55And so, you know, I think we could use a player like that, you know, talent-wise, of course.
07:00It then becomes, though, does that now stunt the development of some of these younger players?
07:05And we feel really good about Zion.
07:07And we feel really good about Mike Green, not to mention Trey.
07:10It's going to be hard to get him off the field.
07:11So it becomes a matter of reps.
07:13And when you have those at that position, those guys don't historically play special teams.
07:19So then it becomes hard to get them all up on game day.
07:22And that's another factor.
07:24Yeah.
07:24Because that body type, typically, unless you're in Adelius Thomas, those guys typically don't excel on special teams.
07:30So if you're going to dress four guys, that means the fifth guy and the sixth guy are going to
07:34be inactive.
07:36Because you have to have some special teams guys up.
07:38So never say never.
07:40I think some of it will depend on our evaluation of these guys over the coming month or so.
07:44And into the off-season program as we get closer to, like, the end of June.
07:48We signed Connie years ago in August, I think.
07:53Maybe the first week of training camp right around there or second week of training camp.
07:56But I think what we want to do is assess what we have and make a decision based off of
07:59that.
07:59Sure.
08:00Makes a ton of sense.
08:00One question I get a ton of, and this is for, like, the deep, deep Ravens fans, and you know
08:04how they feel about Keaton Mitchell.
08:06Can you give us any insight as to why Keaton wasn't retained?
08:09Obviously, he's a fan favorite.
08:10And I'm not saying that, you know, his skill set is, you know, seamless with every offense.
08:15But can you give any thoughts on Keaton at all?
08:19Yeah.
08:20I think it comes down to, you know, the system in some respects.
08:24You know, he was going to make over $3 million this year based on the system, which was a restricted
08:30free agency system, the tender.
08:32Again, not a real special teams guy.
08:36A talented space runner.
08:38He's not necessarily the most dynamic pass catching back.
08:42So he's not a pass protector.
08:43He's a runner.
08:44He's a really, really skilled running back.
08:47But, you know, then it becomes, well, would you rather have Derek on the field or Keaton?
08:51And then you talk about the amount of carries he's going to get and the amount of reps he's going
08:54to get and the fact he's going to have to make three point, I think the number was $3.6
08:59million on a one-year deal, which was the tender.
09:03So then he's going to become a free agent next year again.
09:06It just, it gets, it gets challenging.
09:08I think the biggest thing is when we looked at him, Keaton, and these are hard choices to make because
09:13he's a great dude.
09:14And he's an awesome talent.
09:15He's not a punt returner.
09:19And, you know, as a kick returner, he's probably better suited to the old kick returns more than the new
09:26kick returns.
09:27So then he's not that type of guy either.
09:29You know, you and I are two of the only people in Baltimore who can remember that first minicamp where
09:35the players wore the white uniforms and the white helmets.
09:38I mean, we go back that far, you and me.
09:40It's been fun for me to watch you advance through this organization.
09:44You know, you started out with Ozzie and now you're running the show.
09:48It occurred to me while I was driving in today, what a hell of an opportunity for a young guy
09:53like you.
09:53And you've got to be aware of that, about how fortunate you were and how unique this situation was here.
10:00It was.
10:01And, you know, a lot of people, it got left behind in Cleveland.
10:04Yeah.
10:05And I had a chance to interview for a job because we were a very small department back then.
10:09I remember.
10:10We had Ozzie and Phil and Scott Pioli, and then we had the seven area scouts.
10:15So maybe we had, and Jesse, so we had maybe 11 people in our department.
10:18Now we have 30 or 30-something, 32 maybe, 30 econ analytics, maybe more than that.
10:24So, but, yeah, it was.
10:27And, again, all the area scouts were on the road.
10:30And so in-house it was me and Jesse Markison and Scott Pioli that first year and Ozzie.
10:37And so my office was in the hallway next to Ozzie.
10:40We were in the hallway.
10:41And so anytime Ozzie needed something, he would just yell my name.
10:44And so I got acclimated quick.
10:47And because we were such a small organization, I think this was the best part of it, Bruce.
10:52I got a chance to understand what everybody else did in the organization.
10:56Yeah, yeah.
10:57You know, and I could appreciate what the grounds crew did and the training room and PR and security and
11:01all these different groups.
11:03And in a lot of cases I was helping them because they didn't have enough staff.
11:07I remember you passing out press releases.
11:09I do have that memory.
11:10I do.
11:11I did everything.
11:12I used to take players to the airport, to the hospital.
11:15I'd hold bags at practice.
11:17I'd fold stuff.
11:18So, yeah, I mean, it gave me an appreciation as a 24-year-old kid to really get an understanding
11:23of how everything kind of fits together.
11:25It wasn't so specialized as it is now.
11:27And I think for me, looking back, that was a gift.
11:30Hey, Eric, you know what's awesome is I was at a private event for the NTL that Lamar Jackson's involved
11:35with.
11:35I got to talk to Lamar for about five minutes.
11:37It's his energy, just, you know, mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, he just seems like he's locked in.
11:43He's obviously been involved in a lot of stuff.
11:44And we know how the national media likes to keep all things Lamar Jackson, you know, at the surface.
11:50What are your thoughts in regard to, you know, where Lamar is with the offense?
11:56And I know that you're not going to talk contract stuff in regard to details, but where is your sense
12:01just kind of qualitatively, things with Lamar, things with the offense and his future?
12:06I think he's got great energy.
12:07He's excited.
12:08I think he's really done a great job being here, you know, learning the new approach of the offense and
12:14the terminology and all those things.
12:16It's not an easy thing to do for anybody.
12:18But I just think it's just a great vibe.
12:20It's not just him.
12:20It's everybody.
12:21It's Derek.
12:22It's Zay.
12:24It's the line, the D-line.
12:26It's really everybody's offense and the attendance has been great.
12:30The energy has been really nice to see.
12:33The practicing, I think, just some different changes, the little nuances in the offense.
12:37But listen, Lamar is, like, honestly, just the most, in my opinion, the most talented player in the league.
12:44And I think he's excited, and we expect him to have a massive year this year.
12:48Very, very, you know, I think, and that was one of the things, as we interviewed coaches, what made our
12:53job, I think, really, in my mind, one of the best jobs, maybe the best job, was Lamar and having
12:58a chance to work with him.
12:59And just hearing the excitement of these coaches about Lamar and working with him is a special thing.
13:07And I appreciate that.
13:09I love Lamar as a person, as a player, everything he brings to this community.
13:15And I think that, you know, if anybody has a chance to get their third MVP this year, it's going
13:20to be Lamar Jackson.
13:21No argument here.
13:22Eric DaCosta, as always, my friend, we appreciate your time.
13:26Get some rest, and we're really looking forward to this season.
13:29Take care, guys.
13:30Thanks, Eric.
13:31Appreciate you.
13:31There you go.
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