ExtremeRavens Posted 11 hours ago Posted 11 hours ago Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton peeled off his jersey after a long, hot day of work last week in Owings Mills, revealing a T-shirt emblazoned with a simple but paramount message: “Life Is Too Short, Run To The Ball.” Even at the highest level, football is often not about subtlety. Earlier this month, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase was a guest on “The Sitdown w/ Malik Wright” podcast, and when the conversation turned to the toughest cornerbacks he has faced, the All-Pro rattled off a handful of names. None of them play in Baltimore. Even a neophyte would not confuse the 2024 Ravens defense with the 2000 edition. “I know when I first got here, obviously the Ravens defense, I felt like teams feared what we did,” Ravens veteran cornerback Marlon Humphrey said. “Now, we are trying to get that back. But I mean, I don’t think the Bengals fear our defense. I don’t think the Steelers fear our defense. “So those expectations, when it’s in your own division, people kind of like, ‘Sweet, we play the Ravens.’” That was especially true for Chase, who broke an NFL record that had stood since 1963 with a staggering 21 catches for 457 yards and five touchdowns in a pair of shootouts against Baltimore last season. The Ravens won both, but the performances were emblematic of a deep and concerning problem that had lingered from the summer through much of last season. Though Baltimore’s defense featured a dramatic turnaround down the stretch, it still ranked 31st in passing yards allowed per game (275.7). Many of those yards also came in chunks, especially early, with Baltimore allowing 58 passing plays of at least 20 yards, which was 18th-most in the league. Whether that trend continues this season remains to be seen, but the early returns after the first week of training camp point toward a paradigm shift, if not a potential about-face. First, the Ravens made significant personnel changes. They waived obstreperous safety Eddie Jackson in November and released malcontent safety Marcus Williams after the season. They also added veteran cornerbacks Jaire Alexander, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, and Chidobe Awuzie in free agency to a group that already includes Humphrey, an All-Pro in the slot last season, and rising second-year corner Nate Wiggins. And though they lost defensive back Ar’Darius Washington for most if not all of the season because of a torn Achilles he suffered during offseason workouts, rookie first-round safety Malaki Starks has already drawn high praise from teammates and coaches for his ability, football IQ and maturity. “He’s miles ahead of where I was at that point in his NFL career,” Hamilton said. “He’s just so instinctual, and he has that little bit holding him back, just because he hasn’t been in [the NFL for] a long time. So, once that clicks, then he’ll be a great player. “I think he knows the playbook more than I did. He’s confident out there. He’s talking, and he’s just so willing to learn and be a sponge, and it’s very admirable for somebody his age.” Alexander, meanwhile, in addition to talent when healthy, has brought a “swag,” Humphrey said, to a defensive backfield that has largely been devoid of it since the days of Marcus Peters. “I think confidence is the biggest key you can have at cornerback,” Humphrey said. “So, I think he’s a perfect fit for our secondary.” Cornerback Jaire Alexander, pictured, has brought a “swag,” Marlon Humphrey said, to a defensive backfield that has largely been devoid of it since the days of Marcus Peters. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Coach John Harbaugh also made changes to his staff, notably firing assistant head coach/pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt as well as inside linebackers coach Mark DeLone, who lasted just one season. Harbaugh also did not bring back Dean Pees in a full-time role after he hired the former Ravens defensive coordinator as a senior adviser five games into last season. Though they were part of the defensive turnaround later in the year, it was not difficult to read between the lines that the system was not being taught effectively, a point that crystallized in the form of communication issues that multiple players spoke about over the course of 2024. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr, in his first year calling plays at any level, also initially entrusted his assistants perhaps a little too much, further exacerbating the issues. Replacing them are senior secondary coach Chuck Pagano and inside linebackers coach Tyler Santucci. Pagano, a longtime NFL assistant who was part of Harbaugh’s first staff in Baltimore and later the coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017, brings familiarity and experience. In 2011, his lone season as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, Baltimore ranked third in yards allowed per game (288.9) and points per game (16.6). Santucci, 37, is making his NFL coaching debut this season, but was considered one of college football’s top defensive coordinators. He helped turn around a struggling Georgia Tech defense last year, and before that led Duke and Texas A&M to top 25 defenses in scoring. In the weight room and on the field, the Ravens have also been intentional about their goals. Reviving the breakfast club workouts that took root with former Ravens safety Eric Weddle, Humphrey and a handful of others on offense and defense gather each morning for workouts at the team’s facility at 6 a.m., even though practice doesn’t begin until the afternoon. If a player shows up at 6:01, he has to wait until later. In a tweak to the team’s grading system of every player on each play of every practice, coaches have honed in on a handful or so of specifics on both sides of the ball and especially on defense, including pursuit to the ball, blowing up blocks and forcing turnovers. After ranking 13th in turnover margin, which included forcing the seventh-fewest turnovers in the NFL last season with 17 — and none in two playoff games — the latter has been a particular point of emphasis and has borne fruit with a few interceptions and several impressive pass breakups so far this summer. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr said, “When we take the ball away, we'll win. When we don't, we’ve got a good chance of winning, but why put ourselves in that position?” (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) “We’re getting better at teaching it, teaching in the classroom, showing opportunities on film, showing how to get the football out and understanding how important it is,” Orr said. “When we take the ball away, we’ll win. When we don’t, we’ve got a good chance of winning, but why put ourselves in that position?” The new faces, in addition to the returning ones, should help. Alexander has 12 career interceptions over seven injury-interrupted seasons, which included a career-high five for the Green Bay Packers in 2022. Awuzie, meanwhile, has seven in eight seasons. Humphrey is coming off a career-high six to lead the Ravens last year. And Starks had six in three seasons for Georgia. All of which has the Ravens positioned to be one of the best defenses in the league again after just two years ago becoming the first team to lead the NFL in takeaways, sacks and fewest points allowed per game in the same season. “Based off what we’re seeing defensively, guys are really running to the ball like it means something,” Humphrey said. “I think if we can get nine guys doing that, I think we’ll be a good defense. But if we can get 11 guys doing that to where it could be a cliff behind you, you just turn around, and we all go into the cliff together. … I think that’s something that I’ve seen early on that I think if we can keep building on, that we’ll be a great defense.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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