Safety Julian Love
Q: Julian, congratulations on the win. What do you see taking shape with this team right now? It seems like a pattern has developed with you guys of keeping it close and finding a way to win in the fourth quarter.
A: I think (Head Coach Brian) Coach Dabs (Daboll) has done a great job of really building on what we have in front of us. We're a team that might not win the game 40-0; we're a team that will bring our team into the fourth quarter and make key plays in key situations to win games. That's who we are; we're resilient, so thankfully made out with this game that against a really good team.
Q: Julian, what did you see on that interception? Obviously, you see that the play was messed up. What're you looking at after that?
A: Those plays are really dangerous because you have the most dynamic quarterback back there. It was a bobbled snap, but as soon as he got it, you could see his eyes were looking down field. That's when he's made his great plays in his career. I wasn't covering, whoever he tried to throw it to. I was kind of just baiting him; I saw someone wide open, saw (Ravens Quarterback) Lamar (Jackson) kind of lock-in, and then I baited the throw a little bit, and thankfully I made the play in a critical situation.
Q: Your play leads to a touchdown, but then there's plenty of time for the Ravens to come back certainly, but what did you see on the last play when Kayvon (OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux) gets his first-career sack and gets the turnover situation?
A: Wink [Giants Defensive Coordinator Don 'Wink Martindale'] has said for weeks that once we get a turnover and once, we start creating turnovers, they're going to come in bunches. That stuff is contagious. I made a play on the previous drive, and you see our team just make a play immediately right after that. That's how football works; it's a game of momentum, it's a game of building off of each other, and this team has done such a great job of doing it across all sides of the ball; offense, defense, and special team capitalizing on each other. That's what that was; the epitome of what that was for us.
Q: How was Wink after beating the Ravens?
A: He was on top of the world. You'd be kidding yourself if you don't want to beat your former team in any aspect. I know that he's done a great job of not putting that on us of not making this game bigger than it was, but for sure, it means a little more to him. He had an extra chip on his shoulder. He was all smiles after the game.
Q: Did it mean more to you all to get the win for him?
A: I would say that I'm close with Wink, so yes, I want to win for win for him and succeed for this organization. This is my fourth year here, so everything is for the guy next to me because that's what it has to be. That's what good teams do; you play for the people next to you. I think this defense was really rallying around Wink and being resilient.
Q: Why do you guys think you had trouble against the run? What were they doing that made it hard?
A: They were being the 'Baltimore Ravens Rushing Attack'. They've been dynamic in the run game for the past few years, and we had a good plan, and it's a matter of executing for us. I think there's a lot to clean up from this game. It's always a good thing when you have a lot to clean up, and you get the win. That type of stuff has not been happening in recent years. They [the Baltimore Ravens] are a great team, their offense was playing great for a lot of it. We were just resilient holding them on touchdowns and making them settle for field goals. They missed a field goal early, and stuff like that just makes who we are as a team.
Q: On the first touchdown you guys gave up, you only had 10 defenders out there, so clearly that is one of the things that you guys have to clean up?
A: Yes. Stuff like that is unacceptable; that is stuff that you can control, having the right people on the field. It's from the top down. We're all accountable; players, coaches, and we all take ownership of that. That's stuff that good teams don't do, so we'll clean that up for sure. That's something that you wince at when you see it, and you're frustrated with yourself for sure, but it happens in the game of football.
Q: Julian, so much has been said about the culture of this team and what Daboll has brought. (Running Back) Saquon (Barkley) said he is having fun and that Daboll is letting you guys just be yourselves. What do you think he has instilled in you guys that has caused this turnaround? You have been with this club for four years now. What is it that this guy is doing to push you guys even further than you have been pushed before?
A: I think his approach has been great. I've told that to him. When we win games, when we lose games, it stays constant. His mindset and his mentality and his approach to us stays really constant. There is not super high-highs when you win or super low-lows when you lose. I told him 'Man, that's an approach I haven't seen in recent years.'. He also knows what has happened in the past. He knows how we have been feeling in that building and creating a culture to where if you make a bad play, your head isn't down all day, and you're embarrassed for your teammates or for yourself. You shake it off really quickly, and you can approach everybody as people. He's created a beautiful culture in the building right now; the staff and everybody top-down. I think that's why he's been successful so far.
Q: Is that the intercepted ball you have? What do you do with those?
A: I save those. That's a future Hall of Fame quarterback. When you get a pick off of somebody like that, you have to keep the ball. I have a (Kansas City Quarterback Patrick) Mahomes ball, and now I have a Lamar ball. You keep those ones. You keep those tight.
Q: Coming back on the field after the game, it gets cut to a three-point deficit, what is the conversation like on the defensive side of the ball? Is there a conversation? Or is it just 'come out and do your business'? How do you kind of come back on the field after that moment?
A: Yes, that's a critical situation in a game. If you're down 20-10, things can go either way at that point. You can either go 'Alight, we'll chalk it up', and this team has some individuals on the sidelines who were just fired up and just stayed positive because that's the game. One touchdown by your offense makes it a whole new game where it becomes a three-point game. Going into that, we knew we had some juice, and we knew we had an opportunity in front of us to at least hold them to three points instead of getting a touchdown. I got the interception, and to create an opportunity like that, that's when the momentum is just completely flipped. The stadium was rocking; somebody said that they had never heard the stadium so loud before after the pick and I couldn't tell because I partially blacked out from the moment [of the interception] of just the excitement of it all. Those situations are critical.
Q: How big was it for (Tight End Daniel) Bellinger getting that TD to keep you guys in it and answering the call right after the Ravens had scored? Mindset-wise, did that set you up for success?
A: That's just the epitome of who we are as team. Not settling for three and getting a touchdown in that situation shapes how the Ravens are approaching the next drive, and shapes how we approach the next drive. So, great play, great catch. Our offense really stepped up for us in some key moments in this game.
Q: Any fines for (Cornerback) Fabian (Moreau) and (Safety) Dane (Belton) because they had a chance for interceptions early and couldn't hang on?
A: No, I'm lenient on rookies, for Dane's sake. For Fabian, we told him he owes us two. That's the mindset (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) has instilled early. If we make a bad play, he's not going to berate you, he's not going to get down on you, he's just going to say, 'alright now you owe us two.' So, yeah, we were saying that to Fabe for sure. But those moments, you've got to capitalize on.
Q: Dabs spent all summer talking about changing the culture and positive mindset, but when this season started were you expecting it to take hold quite this quickly? Or what were you expecting from the team this season?
A: When I first got to OTA's, and I spent about a week with Wink, I told my wife right away, 'I just love the environment right now that's going on in the building. From staff that works upstairs, to the players, to the trainers, to equipment, everyone involved throughout, the chef's that we have in our kitchen; the environment was different. I had joy going into work each day, I had joy leaving work each day. When you build a culture like that good things are bound to come. I never put expectations on our records. I knew people were going to be playing harder and be bonded closer because of the culture that Dabs was able to build early on.