Head Coach John Harbaugh

JOHN HARBAUGH: Okay, good seeing everybody. Appreciate you guys being here. Beautiful day, hot. Got a little hot for us and they handled it well. I think we're in good shape. Push through it, finish strong with a highly competitive period at the end, which we want always. So, really happy with the progress we made today and the work towards becoming the team that, ultimately, we hope to become.

Q: It seemed like a major uptick for (wide receiver) Odell (Beckham Jr.) in first team reps. Is that rotation-based or is that merit-based?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Just probably worked out that way today. He – I don't know, worked out that way.

Q: We don't have the aid of replay like you guys do, but it has seemed like, while he hasn't necessarily been getting targets, he has been getting open. Like, there's been a couple times when he's flashed – Odell. Have you guys seen that as well?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think he's doing a good job. He's playing well. Everybody's working hard and so is he.

Q: Where was (wide receiver) JuJu (Smith-Schuster)?

JOHN HARBAUGH: JuJu had a little knee swelling, so we held him out today.

Q: In terms of the offense, John, what sort of checkpoints, what sort of markers are you looking for to show that it's the progress that you want it to be making?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah, I don't really have the list in front of me. You watch the tape, you try to get better at everything you can possibly do. So, I'm not really measuring stats or anything like that too much. I'm just looking at the technique and it's play by play, situation by situation. We're trying to execute as well as we can every single play. We're trying to chase perfection as much as we can and make the corrections, pat the guys on the back where appropriate and move on to the next play.

Q: John, what kind of a weapon can (tight end) Isaiah Likely be?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, I sure hope he's a big weapon. I hope he's a guy that makes a bunch of plays for us. That's why we brought him here. He made a nice play in the red zone today for a touchdown, so that's what he's here for.

Q: Did you draft him as a wide receiver or a tight end in Baltimore?

JOHN HARBAUGH: As a tight end.

Q: What did you think of (quarterback) Jaxson's (Dart) throwing the ball at (cornerback Greg) Newsome (II) there at the end?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think it's a 15-yard penalty for taunting, so we backed up the extra point and had to do it again. Did you see that? That's how we handled it.

Q: Is that why (kicker Ben) Sauls did a second one?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah.

Q: So, there hasn't been anything over the line yet, but we haven't covered a training game with you. Eventually there will probably be a fight. What's your policy?

JOHN HARBAUGH: My policy on fighting is a great question. I'm glad you asked that. My policy on fighting is that the play clock keeps going. So, you can fight all you want, but you're going to be back on the line running the next play within 40 seconds.

Q: Did you say anything to Jaxson there?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think he understands that for the game-winning extra point, we don't want it to be a 50-yard extra point. Do you think I need to say anything in that case? Pretty clear cut, right?

Q: (Cornerback Paulson) Adebo, what are your thoughts? Do you think a team needs a number one, shutdown corner like you often had in Baltimore, or can scheme make corners better?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think both. The better your players are, the better your corners are, that's great. I'd like to have two number one, shutdown corners. Three would be even better. And your scheme has got to help whoever's out there. You want your scheme to help every player as best you can. You do work your scheme. Sometimes, if you think you're a little stronger in one area than another, I think your scheme can help you. You can probably lean towards certain things. So, both of those things, I'd say, are important.

Q: There's some positions you haven't really messed around with on the depth chart. First team guys have been consistent. Corners have been more – you have been mixing guys in. What have you seen out of that position, those top four guys?

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think they're all playing pretty well, so that's good. It seems like we have pretty good depth there. We'll find out over the course of the next three or four weeks, but I like those guys.

Q: (Safety) Tyler Nubin is a guy who had a lot of ball production as a college player. That hasn't translated yet in the NFL. What are you seeing from him, just in terms of his development.

JOHN HARBAUGH: I think he's doing a good job. I do like the way he's practicing. He's a very determined, very serious-minded guy. He really wants to do well. He thinks about everything. He asks all the right questions. Sometimes you want to just say, "Hey, it's not that complicated." But you appreciate that about a player like that. So, I expect him to get back to where he was in college with the ball production. That would be great. I'd love to see him get his hands on a lot of footballs.

Q: With Jaxson – obviously you had this with (Baltimore quarterback) Lamar (Jackson), too, I'm sure. Running is a huge part of this game, right? How do you balance that between how much you want him running in practice and how much you want him to go through plays and all the options and then not run on every play in practice?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Really, which he's not. I think he's going through his progressions really well, but we do want to practice extended plays. Even if he would have gotten sacked, which, that's up in the air. Who knows? On offense, they don't think they ever get sacked. On defense, they think they always sack him in training camp. What we like to do is go ahead and extend the play. So, let's let him get out and extend the play and see if our guys can work on scramble drill. How do you get open on (an) extended play? There's two plays, potentially. There's the first play. If it doesn't work, quarterback gets out of the pocket, we've got another chance. We want to take advantage of that. And then, defensively, especially in the back end, that means we've got to cover again. The play's not over if the quarterback is out of the pocket. So, we've got to cover people, and we've got to go rally and get the quarterback on the ground, too. You see it with – so many quarterbacks make so many plays on the second effort, on the second chance. It's a two-play game. With Jaxson, to me, it can be a two-play game for us. That's an advantage for us on the scramble. So, we want to practice that.

Q: What about designed runs? Do you try to limit those in practice? I know you want to practice them, but maybe you don't want to do too much in practice.

JOHN HARBAUGH: You don't want to do too many of them because that's not all you do. We have a lot of different types of runs, so as much as we can as we install them, we're practicing them as we put them in. We put in a couple of designed runs or quarterback read runs. So, you pick up an extra blocker because you're reading one of their defenders. The quarterback, if they leave him the opportunity, he'll keep it and run around the edge. Two of those plays were in today. We had to practice them today, so they were part of the rotation.

Q: John, you had talked the other day about working under center versus shotgun, how it affects the footwork, and everything that you're throwing at Jaxson and (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) within this offense. What are the benefits of being able to be multiple and live in different worlds where he's able to be under center, and then when you want to get to certain other plays, you can spread things out?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Obviously, the defense has more to defend. Just less one-dimensional on offense. It's more things they need to prepare for. They don't know exactly where you're going to go, so what are they going to get ready for during the week? Certain defenses are more vulnerable to certain things, so that's really the idea of it. We'll see as we go, what we do game-to-game.

Q: It seemed like the most, if not – I don't want to say the first, but maybe the most one-on-one reps you did during practice.

JOHN HARBAUGH: You mean pass protection?

Q: Yeah, I mean, I think wide receivers and corners, one-on-one reps, and then O-line and D-line, one-on-one reps.

JOHN HARBAUGH: Well, we had our nine-on-seven drill, which is a run and play action pass period without the secondary. So, when you do that, historically, that drill goes with some sort of a passing perimeter type of a drill. It can be one-on-ones, it can be two-on-twos, it can be Cover 2, whatever it is out there they work on. So, they pick something every day that they work on. Normally, when you go pass skeleton, which is seven-on-seven pass, you're familiar with that, that's not the inside guys. So, that's when the inside guys normally do one-on-one, or they might work on games and twists and things like that and focus on pass protection and pass rush. Pretty standard.

Q: Likely's one of those guys that's a mismatch problem for linebackers, corners, safeties, etc. Is that how you view him?

JOHN HARBAUGH: Yeah. Oh yeah, absolutely. He's a hard guy to cover.

Q: Based on what?

JOHN HARBAUGH: He's pretty shifty. He runs good routes. He can get in and out on those option routes and things like that. He ran a beautiful stick nod yesterday, you might have seen it. Faked a little out – we call it a stick route. It's a short inside-out route. Linebacker jumps underneath it, then he bends around it and stick nod for a first down. He does that stuff really well.

Tight End Isaiah Likely

Q: Do you think defenders underestimate your route running ability because of so much is made of your physical skill and your mismatch that you can create that way and maybe they overlook that part of your game?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I mean, I hope so. I mean, I'd get a lot of yards and score a lot of touchdowns.

But, I mean, I try to perfect my craft every day, try to stay on the same schedule as the quarterback. I mean, I try to put as much savviness as I can on film to show Jax (quarterback Jaxson Dart) many ways I can win one-on-one.

Q: What was your advantage by the end of the practice? I mean, you stepped in between Jaxson and (cornerback Greg) Newsome there. Just what did you see?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Just them competing. I mean, training camp, day two of pads, getting tired, obviously in the red zone, points are at stake. I mean, that's the type of dog you want in a quarterback. And obviously, Newsome, I've been playing him for quite a while. I know he's a dog himself, so he's not going to back down on nobody.

Q: Isaiah, how similar or how different is this offense you guys are putting in compared to maybe the one you played your rookie year with (Senior Offensive Assistant) Greg Roman there?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I'd say there's similarities in the run game. Obviously, G-Ro's a wizard, best of the best when it comes to the run. And then just taking the flavors of just coaching from Coach Nagy (Offensive Coordinator Matt Nagy), Coach TK (Tight Ends Coach Tim Kelly), (Quarterbacks) Coach (Brian) Callahan, Coach Greg Roman as well. And then all just trying to make it our offense. I mean, whether it's running pass, making everything look alike and putting the best players in situations to win.

Q: You spent your first four years with (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar (Jackson). What's it like being with Jaxson? And how much similarity is there in regards to maybe their style and what they expect from you?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I mean, I'd say they're both their own charismatic players. I mean, they're both dogs. I can tell you that. And I'd say, with Jax, it's really just having him understand the defense, really just letting his talent shine and showing that he's really a capable franchise quarterback to be able to play against any defense if necessary.

Q: (Running back) Tyrone Tracy was out here yesterday and he talked about Coach Nagy using the phrase elegant simplicity. What does that mean to you and what do you think he's driving at?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Really just making everything look alike. I mean, obviously trying to keep everything as simple as possible so you don't have to think a lot when you're out there, but dressing up to the defense to make it look like exotic, creativity and be able to put the best players in the best situation to win.

Q: What are your expectations for yourself with this new lease on life?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I say, I mean, I come out every day telling myself just when you're 1/11th every play and whether it has run or pass matchups, whether it's zone or man. And I feel like, if I win my 1/11th, whether it's I got to go against safety, linebacker, the end, corner, just giving Jax the best possibility to throw the ball or running back to be able to run in space.

Q: What do you think makes you a mismatched problem?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Being able to put me anywhere. I mean, I can line up outside, in a slot, in line, in the backfield. I've done it all. I've called myself a chess piece before in the past, and I feel like I've lived up to the name.

Q: You have more of an opportunity here now with no (Baltimore Ravens tight end) Mark Andrews. What are your thoughts on that?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I love Mark. I mean, he's taught me a lot since I've come in the league. Be able to just understand zones, to be able to just go out there, run freely and just let my talent shine. So, I feel like Mark's brought me to the point now where I feel like being myself, being a star caliber tight end that I see myself being, going out there every day and showed everybody that when the Giants got me, they picked the right choice.

Q: We saw (wide receiver) Odell (Beckham Jr.) get more work today than he's gotten really all of camp. How do you think he fit in with the first-team offense and how do you think he looks out there?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I feel like he looked like O. I mean, I joke with O all the time. I had O in 2023 when it was like crazy to me, but now seeing O, talking to him every day since then, it's really just seeing him as a player he's become and really just being able to understand the position he's in. And when the young guys ask him how he did it the right way when he was at the top of the top, prime Odell, everything. And then obviously, the dark days Odell, which he'll tell you as well. And really just how he stayed the course and really just honed in and understanding that when he's out here, he's giving you the best version of himself.

Q: Everyone knows how good the defensive front seven can be. It seems like the secondary is actually giving you guys a little bit of trouble, too. What do you think of this defensive secondary?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I feel like they're competing. I feel like no matter who you put out there, they have a job to do. And Coach Dennard (Defensive Coordinator Dennard Wilson) out there, he's telling them every day to compete. I mean, nobody has a guaranteed spot every day. I mean, every day is a new day. And they know that when they're out there, when they see nine, when they see anybody out there, I'm going to give you the best look that you can get. So, I feel like that's the competing aspect of training camp. And that's going to help us during the season.

Q: When Odell and (wide receiver) JuJu (Smith-Schuster) and (wide receiver Braxton) Berrios joined you back in the spring, there's questions of try out, how much these guys actually have left. When you see, we'll leave JuJu out of it because he wasn't out there today, but when you see Berrios and Odell making the plays that they're making, I mean, what's your reaction? Are you surprised by it? Do you expect it because of the experience? What's the feeling inside the locker room with these guys?

ISAIAH LIKELY: I wouldn't say necessarily surprised. I mean, when you're out there in between the white lines, I expect you to win your one-on-ones. And that's what I told the group today. I mean, everything's about winning your 1/11th when you're out there. So, if you're in between those white lines, whether you're a 36-year-old vet or a 21-year-old rookie, I expect you, when you're out there, you're part of the best of the best in the world. So, you got to get out there and you got a job to do. So, when I see Brax or O out there and they're showing you guys the sauce that they still have, I mean, I expect that because when you turn on the film, that's what you see.

Q: When did you tell the group?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Wise word today. Wise word today. We do it after practice. You get a wise word in.

Q: And today was your day today?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Today was my day. I had to be there.

Q: What was the wise word?

ISAIAH LIKELY: Win your 1/11th and being where your feet are.

Cornerback Paulson Adebo

Q: What do you think of the way this defense fits your skills? (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard's (Wilson) played a lot of zone in the past, but (safety Tyler) Nubin was just saying it's like an attacking zone.

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, it's a lot similar to what I did in New Orleans. A lot of press man on the outside, letting the corners be able to get up and challenge the receivers. So, I think that plays to our strengths, every one of our corners in the room.

Q: Does it play to your skill set?

PAULSON ADEBO: Absolutely, yeah. I mean, it's definitely something that I love to do, so yeah.

Q: How does that type of a scheme open up opportunities for turnovers, specifically from you guys in the back end?

PAULSON ADEBO: Well, on the front end, as far as disrupting the receivers, time clock and their chemistry that they have with the quarterback, it slows things down and allows the defensive ends to be able to get a rush on the quarterback. So, you get a lot more strip sack and stuff like that because the quarterback's having to pat the ball one time, two times because the receiver's having a tough time getting off the press. So, that definitely helps. And then, obviously, downfield, being able to be in a position to look, locate and find the ball.

Q: There's a difference between being your team's number one corner and one of the best corners in the NFL. Do you feel like you can go to that level?

PAULSON ADEBO: For sure, yeah. I think that's what I see myself as, so that's what I'm trying to prove.

Q: What did you make of last year for you? I know it was a tough season. You didn't get to play consistently the whole time. Well, how do you self-evaluate?

PAULSON ADEBO: Overall, not good enough, regardless of whatever circumstance is going on.

Q: Where are you physically versus where you were last year?

PAULSON ADEBO: I feel great. I think I felt good last year going into the season. I feel great this year going into the season as well.

Q: How much does that drive you, like what you just said, overall not good enough? Do you use that? Is that something you use to say, "I've got to show that I'm better than what I put out there last year." Or do you just kind of just put that behind you?

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, for me, personally, my goal is always to be the best in the league, so year in and year out, that's always been my goal since I came in as a rookie, second year, third year, fourth year, so that doesn't change. But definitely there's more expectations, so there's more from the outside as far as being able to fulfill those expectations. But for me, personally, it's always been the same, trying to be the best in the league.

Q: What do you see from the spot opposite you? Right now it's (cornerback Greg) Newsome (II), but it looks like (cornerback Colton) Hood is challenging.

PAULSON ADEBO: I feel like we've got one of the strongest cornerback rooms in the league. It reminds me of my earlier years when I was in New Orleans, where we had me, (Titans cornerback) Alontae (Taylor), (Commanders cornerback) Marshon (Lattimore). Basically had three, four number one corners on the team to be able to come in and challenge any receiver, so that's what it reminds me of. I think it's going to be a really dominant defense.

Q: What did you make of (Head Coach John) Harbaugh at the start of the offseason program, pointing out that you weren't here, and did you talk to him about that?

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, I think we always have personal stuff that's going on, so I had something that I was dealing with. So, it wasn't too much to that.

Q: What problems does (tight end) Isaiah likely present for defenses?

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, I mean he's just a great, big target. He's also fluid. He's quick, quicker than you think, so he gives a safety kind of a matchup as far as safety being a little too small for him and linebackers not being quick enough for him, so he has that kind of ability to have a mismatch regardless of who's covering him.

Q: Back to that for one second, about the offseason. Do you worry about how that gets perceived, at least from the outside at all?

PAULSON ADEBO: No, I mean, I think we all have personal stuff that people are going through, so if that's what I'm going through, I can't really help it.

Q: You had a pick today, but I think you had a pick the other day where (inside linebacker Tremaine) Edmunds tipped the ball, right? Is that something you're expecting? I mean, you have two, 6-4, middle linebackers.

PAULSON ADEBO: I mean, we always love those. Any time we get tipped balls, tips and overthrows, got to get those, exactly. So yeah, we love those.

Q: You had a pick today. We were really far away, I think, but give us a breakdown of what that was.

PAULSON ADEBO: In the red zone, you try to do kind of those rub routes, try to take advantage of the space and kind of mismatch and pick off you, so I was able to fight through the pick and then get my head around and go up and get the ball.

Q: Every coach has their own philosophy in training camp. These guys have been running seemingly every receiver on the roster through that first team defense, so you've been matched up with a bunch of guys. How does that prepare you? I mean, are you looking at skill sets? And I know it's only training camp, but you've seen a lot of different guys lined up on you on the outside.

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, that definitely helps throughout the duration of the season. You might go up against a slot guy. You might go up against somebody who's a little bit stronger physically. Someone who's a little less quick, but can go up and get the ball. You might be lined up against somebody that has a lot more speed and is a little quicker laterally, so I think the group of guys that we have, we kind of have a plethora of those guys that you can get to play against every single archetype of the receivers.

Q: You've been matched up with (wide receiver) Malachi (Fields) a little bit. What do you think of the rookie?

PAULSON ADEBO: Man, I think he's been great. I think he's quick. He's a big receiver, but he also has some speed to him as well, so he reminds me of kind of those old school, traditional, like (former NFL wide receiver) Terrell Owens type that can go up and get the ball but also has the speed to kind of break away from you, if need be, so he's been great this whole offseason.

Q: His technique footwork-wise on the sideline yesterday looked maybe better than what you would anticipate for a rookie to have in this situation?

PAULSON ADEBO: Yeah, great. In the rain, two feet down, so I think he's been great throughout this whole camp, so looking forward to that.

Q: Also, do you think (wide receiver) Odell Beckham Jr. looks like he has a lot of ball left?

PAULSON ADEBO: Oh, for sure, man. He's been great. I think every time we line up against him, he looks good. I grew up watching him as a younging, so it's definitely cool to be able to go up against him, but yeah, he definitely looks like he looks ready.

Q: Big picture, how would you describe the pace, the tempo, the efficiency of practice so far?

PAULSON ADEBO: I think it's really good. It's really organized. It's really detailed, so definitely can appreciate that as a player.

Safety Tyler Nubin

Q: What do you think of what (Defensive Coordinator) Dennard Wilson's defense is asking from the secondary?

TYLER NUBIN: It's great, man. It gives you a lot of opportunity to make plays. You got your eyes on the quarterback, and I think that's something that I do very well, so something I'm really comfortable with, something I did a lot in college, so it's going to be good.

Q: What about for the corners? What are you seeing from that position? There's a lot of them competing, a lot of new guys competing. What do you see from those guys?

TYLER NUBIN: It allows them to be aggressive and play their game and do what they're paid to do.

That's cover and press and do all those things well, and I think we got a lot of guys from Tae (cornerback Deontae Banks) to G-New (cornerback Greg Newsome), Debo (cornerback Paulson Adebo), even (cornerback Colton) Hood that came in, a new guy. They all do that very, very well, and they're all super aggressive, so it just makes my job a lot easier. I don't got to worry about it too much.

Q: This defense, you haven't had the ball production that you would have hoped for the first couple of years. Is this defense one that you think is going to put you in better positions to try to make some plays?

TYLER NUBIN: Yeah, I think Dennard always has opportunistic defenses, looking back where he's been, because they attack, and they make the offense think, gets them on their heels a little bit, whether that's with the disguises or how we're playing things, certain concepts. We can have our eyes on the quarterback and really go attack the football, so yeah, I think it's definitely going to give me a really good opportunity for sure.

Q: In Tennessee, he played a lot of zone. I think it was 78 percent or whatever, but you keep saying attacking, and people think zone they think soft. So, how is it an attacking zone, if that makes sense?

TYLER NUBIN: Because it's aggressive, man, especially when you have corners who can cover, especially when you have linebackers like we have. (Inside linebacker) Tremaine (Edmunds) and (inside linebacker) Arvell (Reese), who's going to make that ball sail over the top. It allows you to be more aggressive on keying into the quarterback and where he's going and jumping routes, whether that's across the middle, whether that's deep post routes, going to the post. So, it just allows you to go attack the football.

Q: You can come into this league and you're a young guy and say, man, I've got a lot of time to get to where I want to be. And then in the snap of a finger, you become a third-year pro waiting to get where you want to be. For you, what has that lesson been like, and how much urgency do you have right now for where you are and what you want to accomplish?

TYLER NUBIN: Yeah, I think every year is it's own entity, man. I think you always got to have urgency in this league, because you never know when your last snap is going to be. It doesn't matter who you are or where you were drafted. The urgency's got to be at a premium. So, my urgency's always at a top level. But even more so now, being in year three, being in it, having that experience. Now I can use those experiences to share with the young guys and also learn from myself to push myself to do even better.

So, urgency's always a premium.

Q: With as good of a talent as your guys' pass rush is, you can imagine that they're going to get home a lot and you guys will be able to maybe jump routes and stuff like that. Can you practice that at this stage in training camp when quarterbacks really can't get sacked?

TYLER NUBIN: It is a little hard. It's definitely a little unrealistic. The pressure's not as glaring as it would be in the game, especially when you've got (outside linebacker Brian) Burns and Arvell and (outside linebacker) Abdul (Carter) and KT (outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeax) in there in the game. That ball's got to come out a little bit faster. So, it's a little bit harder to practice. But we're still doing our thing back there, man. So, I think it's all going to come together at the right time.

Q: Did you lose a little bit of weight this offseason?

TYLER NUBIN: I did.

Q: Want to tell us how much?

TYLER NUBIN: About eight pounds.

Q: Why was that a priority?

TYLER NUBIN: Just speed, man. I think my rookie year I played at like 205. Last year I was at like 213, 214. And right now, I'm like 205, 206, around there. So, I just wanted just more for speed. I feel like I'm the strongest I've ever been, best shape I've ever been. So, I like this weight. I think I'm moving well.

Q: There's always chatter about maybe you moving down in the box a little bit on certain plays. Has that been talked about with you at all?

TYLER NUBIN: Yeah, I think a couple packages where I'm going to be moving around a little bit.

But nothing's set in stone yet. Obviously, it's still early in camp. But I told the coaches they can have all confidence in me to be able to handle that. Because I work hard in knowing the playbook and knowing almost every position. So, if they ask me to do that, I'll definitely be willing to.