Top five takeaways from the first training camp presser of Ravens NT Brandon Williams

The Baltimore Ravens veteran players hit the field for the first time since reporting to camp last week and got to practice with teammates both new and familiar. Veteran defensive lineman Brandon Williams met with the media for the first time since reporting to the eighth training camp of his career and shared some interesting thoughts and insights.

Here are the top five takeaways for his nearly 15-minute press conference  minus his comments on moving back to his natural position at nose tackle because they will be featured in a more detailed piece:

Excited to see promising young talent in pads-

The Ravens are currently matriculating through their ramp-up period like every other team is around the league. The rest of their non recovering and non quarterback veterans reported to camp last week and hit the field this week. Williams has been impressed by what he’s seen from team’s rookies and younger players in shorts during walkthroughs but is itching to see what they can do when then pads come on next week and contact will be allowed at practice.

“I’ll actually be able to see what these young guys got,” said Williams. “You hear a lot of talk, you see a lot of good footwork on the field with pads off but when you finally get the pads on, you actually get to see what they have full go. We got a lot of good talent out here.”

Since there won’t be a preseason this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, first-year players and those without extensive experience in the league need to take full advantage of every practice and try to learn as much as they can and get as prepared as they can before Week One rolls around and the Cleveland Browns come to town. It falls on veteran players like Williams and others to do everything they can to help the youngsters along and get them ready for what is shaping up to be a turbulent season with a level of uncertainty and adversity, unlike anything the league has ever seen.

Loves new additions to the defensive line-

The Ravens got a more athletic up front both in the trenches and at the inside linebacker position. Two of their biggest addition both from a literal and potential impact standpoint were the acquisitions of veteran defensive linemen Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe. Both are excellent pass rushers who also defend the run very well and have Williams excited for the remodeled position group’s potential in 2020.

“I got the twin towers right next to me,” said Williams. “I just don’t see how offenses can come at us. Those two dudes are good. I like what I got, I like my team, I like the way we look and the new guys are coming up great so we got a lot of things going for us on the d-line and I’m excited to see it.”

This isn’t the first time that Williams and Campbell have worked together on the same team. They both represented the AFC in 2018 when Williams made his first career Pro Bowl. He has been helping Campbell learn the Ravens’ playbook and both have studied tape on each other to get a better feel on how their two playing styles with mesh and complement one another.

“We’ve ad conversation about what he brings to the table, what I’ve seen on his film that he’s had and what he’s seen from me and just how we can jell together, and play off each other. He gets upfield, definitely is a commanding guy, commands two or more people on him. I’m the same way and so is Wolfe. It’s going to be crazy this year.”

Thoughts on the two rookie defensive tackles-

The Ravens drafted a pair of rookie defensive linemen from the state of Texas in this year’s draft with the selection Texas A&M’s Justin Madubuike in the third round and Texas Tech’s Broderick Washington Jr in the fifth round. He’s been impressed by some of the traits he’s seen from the two first-year defenders thus far and thinks that once they get the playbook down, even more, they will be able to practice and play more freely instead of being slowed down by too much thinking.

“He’s coming along great,” said Williams about Madubuike. “He’s still a rookie so he’s got a lot of things to learn but he’s getting it and his footwork and hands are coming along great.”

“He’s got a lot of raw talent,” said Williams about Washington Jr. “He’s definitely coming into his own, getting the playbook down. I told him once you get the playbook down, free your mind, free your feet so you can play a lot faster when you know everything you’re supposed to do.”

Williams believes both rookies are coming along well and can’t wait to see what they can do once padded practices begin next week.

Improving run defense requires getting back to the basics-

The Ravens’ rich history of dominant defense has always started with being able to be stout in their run defense. The first thing that their scouts look for when evaluating defenders whether it’s a college prospect or a veteran free agent is if there are willing and proficient at defending the run. From defensive lineman to defensive back, Ravens defenders typically are sound tacklers and physical at the point of attack.

However, last season their run defense sprung more leaks and gave more way on the ground than they have in years past. Even though they finished third in total defense and fifth against the run, giving up 93.4 yards per game in 2019, they allowed a franchise-high 4.4 yards per carry after allowing just 3.7 the year before when they finished No.1 in total defense.

All three of their losses came in games where the opposing team gashed them on the ground for at least 140 yards, including the devastating upset to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs. Williams believes that the answer to rectifying the recent trend lies with getting back to the basics.

“The biggest thing is execution, fundamentals, getting back to hands and feet,” said Williams. “When you get to those games that are run grinders, you’re only as good as your foundation will allow you to be. That’s getting back to the hands, feet, moving of the feet, making sure you know your technique, and how to execute it to the best of your ability.”

“Just getting back to the home basics of things. Instead of trying to do too much in situations, just do what you’re supposed to do the right way.”

Being in the best shape of his career-

This offseason the Ravens bucked their traditional trend of featuring several heavy-set run stuffers in the trenches by loading up the interior of their defensive line with slender, more athletic players to play the five and three-technique positions (defensive end and defensive tackle). Williams might have had that in mind when he attacked his offseason training because he reported to camp noticeably leaner and in what he feels is the best shape of his career.

“Being leaner, being more of a pro,” Williams said. “Cutting off some of the fat, building more of the muscle. Trying to get my beach body going on, my slim sexy going on. The older you get, the harder it is to get that weight off you, the harder it is to move. When you come in a little bit lighter, it relieves a lot of that pain.”

Williams admitted that while he didn’t lose a lot of weight, he did incorporate healthier foods into his diet.

“Got to eat the greens, got to eat the vegetables and broccoli, and whatnot,” Williams said. “Not lighter, but more toned so I can play at nose and keep running the way I do.”

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