Each week, we've brought you a Q&A with a Ravens player to help you learn a little more about the team. Today is a little different in that the guest is defensive coordinator Greg Mattison, who guided the defense to its eighth consecutive top-10 ranking in the NFL in average yards allowed and 11th in the last 12 years. Mattison said the defense is taking steps toward reaching its peak, that three-man rushes have not been eliminated from the defensive game plan, and that he can't wait for the day when Ed Reed becomes a coach.
Question: Is this defense playing at its peak right now?
Answer: No, I don't think we're at our peak. I think what's happening is we've eliminated some mistakes. Even throughout this year when people were judging us and saying, 'You didn't play very well,' I look at the first game against Cleveland and everybody talked about [running back Peyton] Hillis running the football. It was three plays. Other than that, it wasn't a great game, but it wasn't awful either. So I think like any defense, you want them to be playing better as the year goes on. Whether you ever peak or not, I don't ever want to say that because then that means that you've reached your limit, and I don't think our guys would ever want that. I think they always feel they can play better.
Q: Then is the defense taking the right steps to demonstrate improvement to you?
A: Definitely. I've been so proud of our defensive guys because they've been so studious as far as making sure they cover all the bases, making sure that there's nothing on that field where they didn't concentrate or they didn't get in their meetings or they didn't do what they were supposed to. That's a mark of a great defense, and that all goes back to the pride in that locker room, that there's not a guy on that field that ever wants to let his teammates down.
Q: After the 30-24 win against the New Orleans Saints on Dec. 19, coach John Harbaugh said the defense needed to maintain its "personality" as a pressure defense. Are you making a conscious effort while crafting the weekly game plan to reflect that identity?
A: Yeah, we're making a conscious effort because that's what we've always wanted to do. I think what's happened is, you see [cornerbacks] Lardarius Webb, Chris Carr and Josh [Wilson] all playing at such a high level right now. They're playing better and that allows us to pressure more. Throughout the injuries — with Lardarius still coming back — I maintain that's one of the reasons why I didn't want to hang them out. Now they've grabbed it and said they're ready to go, and I think [free safety] Ed Reed coming back and being healthy allows us to do those kinds of things. That's always been our identity. It's just that we haven't been able to fully use it throughout the season because I'm always going to do — and in my mind, this is my job — what's best for us to help us win. Sometimes, if that means not pressuring them all the way even though I would like to, I'm going to do that. Now our guys have really stepped up and are doing it.
Q: So does that mean that the days of sending three-man rushes are a thing of the past?
A: No. I don't think that's a non-option for any defense. You see the way offenses have changed where they'll go five-wide, they'll spread you out, and if you try to pressure against that every time, they'll pick you apart. So you have to mix. You've got to be able to mix between a three, a four, a five, a six. You've got to be able to never let them know what you're giving them, but know that there's always a possibility of that pressure coming.
Q: Heading into the season, the cornerback position was the defense's biggest question mark. Do you feel vindicated by the way that unit has played this season?
A: I'm very, very proud and pleased with the way our corners have come on. Chris Carr has had a very, very steady and solid season, Lardarius coming back, Josh, Cary Williams has stepped up to be a guy that can help us now. So there's no question that what they've done over these last four or five games is probably one of the biggest keys.
Q: Do you feel that the secondary's performances have proved the doubters wrong?
A: It really doesn't bother me who doubts and who doesn't. I know what I and the rest of the coaches see every day on the film, and again, I know my picture of what I want. I want to see them coming off the field and shaking hands because they've won. Whatever it takes to do that, that's what we'll always do.
Q: Is outside linebacker Terrell Suggs dropping into coverage or is he crashing the quarterback on every play?
A: He's doing both. He's doing like he's always done. I've always felt that I didn't want him dropping as much because he's too effective as a pass rusher. But also in some of our pressures, you have to do that or they'll know every time which way the pressure is coming from.
Q: Since becoming the defensive coordinator in 2009, you've been compared to former Ravens defensive coordinator and current New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan. Do those comparisons bother you?
A: No. With Rex Ryan, I had the opportunity to work with him, and it was probably the best opportunity I ever had. I don't know if they compared Rex to the guys before him, but this is the Ravens defense. Rex Ryan, to me, has done a tremendous job. He's a tremendous coach. If they say he's going to be the bar, that's fine. That's their prerogative. I just know every day what I try to do to be as good as I can be, and that's all I ever judged myself on. Just do your best job, and that's either got to be good enough or not good enough.
Q: What's the process for shaping the weekly defensive game plan?
A: We all do that together as a staff. We'll do that on Monday, and each coach has a specific area he does. [Secondary coach] Chuck Pagano does the third-down passing, [defensive line coach] Clarence Brooks does the runs. The outside runs, [outside linebackers coach] Ted [Monachino] does, and [linebackers coach] Dean Pees does the first- and second-down passes. So we'll watch those as a staff, and as we watch them as a staff, we'll say, 'OK, this defense will be good against this. This defense may be not as good, so let's put that on the side.' Then I go from there and try to get down-and-distance tendencies, things that they've shown, and that's how I gear my calls towards those.
Q: Is there a lot of give-and-take during the staff meetings? And if there's a disagreement, do you have the final say?
A: Yeah, definitely. But we don't have disagreements. For example, Chuck may say, 'Let's rush three and drop everybody,' and I'll say, 'No, we're going to be a pressure team, and we're going to pressure on this down.' And that's fine. We just talk through everything. We have a tremendous and great defensive staff, and there are no egos in there. Everybody's goal is for this defense to be as good as it can be, and that's what makes this place so good. I'm not just saying that. This is probably the best defensive staff I've been around because we all do have the same goal.
Q: A couple of weeks ago, a caller to John Harbaugh's radio show questioned why Clarence Brooks was still employed, and John vigorously defended Clarence. What was your reaction to that situation?
A: I laughed. When I heard that, I said, 'This guy is clueless,' because he's one of the best defensive line coaches in the NFL. If our players ever heard that, they'd go, 'Is he [the caller] crazy?' I don't ever listen to the call-ins or stuff like that, but somebody brought that to my attention, and I said, 'This guy is crazy.' Just watch what his guys do. Haloti [Ngata] may be the best defensive lineman in the NFL, Cory Redding has really come on and had an outstanding year. All you have to do is watch them. I just laughed when I heard that.
Q: The genesis for that question was the development of rookie nose tackle Terrence Cody. Is he developing at a pace you agree with?
A: Definitely, and you can tell by how much he has played. And that's a great credit to Clarence Brooks. He's a young guy that had a lot of raves about him and rightly so. But he had to become a Raven, and he has done that every day. Now, he's allowing Kelly [Gregg] to play at a better level also because he doesn't have to go in on every play.
Q: When seven-time Pro Bowl free safety Ed Reed laterals the football after snatching an interception or causing a fumble, what's the first thought going through your mind?
A: 'Please, somebody catch it.' I will tell Ed, 'Be smart.' I always tease him, 'Ed, you're going to coach some day. I'm going to be in a wheelchair, and I'm going to come out there to watch practice, and I'm going to ask you, "Why are you yelling at that guy for pitching the ball?"' But I love Ed Reed. He's like a racehorse. You start trying to take that racehorse out of a guy, and pretty soon you've got someone who should be pulling a trainer. You don't ever want that, and that's what separates him from a lot of other players.