ExtremeRavens Posted August 14 Posted August 14 Longtime Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris will be absent from the team for a “significant amount of time” after being hospitalized over the weekend for what the team said is an acute illness. The 70-year-old assistant, who was hired in 2017 after a long coaching career in college and the NFL, underwent surgery over the summer, coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday. D’Alessandris is suffering from complications stemming from the procedure and remains hospitalized, with his daughters Anna, Kelly and Emily having also joined him, according to Harbaugh. “We love Joe D,” Harbaugh said following practice in Owings Mills. “It’s a blow, because he’s a great football coach. He’s beloved by the players, by the coaches. He’s a top game planner. He’s a top coach. He’s a huge part of our offense. “He’s going to be missed very much, but we’re going to be much more concerned about his health and his welfare and his well-being going forward.” In the meantime, the Ravens have hired George Warhop to coach the offensive line. Warhop, 62, has been an offensive line coach for several teams around the league since 1996, including the then-St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently the Houston Texans in 2022. He spent just one season in Houston. There is also at least some familiarity with some of the Ravens’ coaching staff. In addition to having played against Harbaugh when the two were in college at Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio), respectively, Warhop’s career overlapped with Baltimore offense coordinator Todd Monken when the two were assistants for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other members of the Ravens’ coaching staff have worked with Warhop as well. “It’s an interesting dilemma for sure,” Harbaugh said of needing to make the change. “He doesn’t know our system per se in terms of our terminology, but he can learn that very quickly. But he knows our techniques. He knows the style, the way we’re running the plays, the principles of the plays. He knows all that stuff. “He’s an experienced coach who knows that stuff inside and out, so he’ll step right in and he’ll start working with those guys right away.” George Warhop, pictured in 2021, has been an offensive line coach for several teams around the NFL since 1996. (AP Photo) Before the NFL, Warhop was an assistant for 11 years at the college level for Boston College, SMU, New Mexico, Vanderbilt, Kansas and Cincinnati. He also spent two seasons as the offensive coordinator for NFL Europe’s London Monarchs. This offseason, the Ravens also hired Travelle Warton as an assistant offensive line coach. He spent last year as the Washington Commanders’ offensive line coach. Being without D’Alessandris, however, is a loss. One of the league’s most respected position coaches, he has worked with several Pro Bowl linemen during his tenure in Baltimore, including Marshal Yanda, Ronnie Stanley, Orlando Brown Jr. and Tyler Linderbaum. The Ravens also have three starting positions up for grabs up front between both guard spots and right tackle. It’s been a difficult two years for D’Alessandris, whose wife of 42 years, Toni, died in May 2022 because of a rare form of Parkinson’s disease. “I don’t have that person to just talk to,” D’Alessandris told The Athletic last season. “I miss that.” Under D’Alessandris, the Ravens have had top-10 pass-blocking and run-blocking win rates each of the past four years, per ESPN, and last season allowed the fifth-fewest total pressures (160), according to Pro Football Focus. View the full article Quote
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