ExtremeRavens Posted Monday at 09:48 PM Posted Monday at 09:48 PM Everything is on the table, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said resolutely on Monday afternoon in Owings Mills. “We’ve got a lot of decisions to make,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of planning to do. “The urgency is high.” The task ahead is also daunting. After being embarrassed, 44-10, on Sunday at home against the Houston Texans to fall to 1-4, Baltimore, which entered the season as the favorite to win the Super Bowl, will have to buck history just to make the playoffs. Only 16 teams have reached the postseason after such starts and only four have done so after beginning a season 1-5, something that is not out of the question with a talented and physical Los Angeles Rams up next in Baltimore on Sunday and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s status still very much uncertain because of a hamstring injury that could keep him sidelined for a second straight game. With that as a backdrop, Harbaugh did not rule out changes. They could be coming in myriad ways and in multiple areas. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr It was five weeks into last season when Harbaugh hired former defensive coordinator Dean Pees as a senior adviser to help first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr stop the bleeding on a unit that at the time ranked 26th in points allowed and 31st in pass defense. Somehow, they’ve been even worse this year, which has only ratcheted up the criticism of Orr. Harbaugh has been a vocal supporter of Orr, including on Sunday when he said that he did not think a change is “productive” or “the answer.” On Monday, when asked how much the defensive staff is leaning on senior secondary coach Chuck Pagano — another former Ravens defensive coordinator who was hired in the offseason — he said, “immensely.” “He’s a big part of how the defense is built already,” Harbaugh said of Pagano, the former Indianapolis Colts coach. He added that Pagano is talking to Orr “all the time” offering suggestions, and that is one of the reasons he is confident the defense will turn around. Harbaugh also said that he had a phone call with Pees, who was not retained in the offseason, on Monday about the defense. Only twice in Harbaugh’s 18 years has he made a change at coordinator during the season. The first came in 2012 when he fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron after a Week 14 loss and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell; the other was in 2016 when he canned offensive coordinator Marc Trestman in October of that year and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Marty Mornhinweg. If Baltimore’s defense continues to struggle to the depths it has, it’s fair to wonder what Orr’s fate might be. Scheme Within the Ravens’ defensive woes is attention to their scheme. So far, Baltimore has deployed zone coverage about 20% more than man coverage, according to Sharp Football Analysis. While Harbaugh said that playing a higher rate of man is a “big energy burner” that will require more out of what has been an anemic pass rush, he said he does see them playing man “quite a bit.” “There’s a lot scheme stuff we have to look at, a lot of scheme stuff on all three sides,” he said in reference to defense, offense and special teams. “There’s things we just gotta look at and say we gotta find some different ways to put our guys in some spots to be able to make some plays. We gotta try to manufacture some things.” That perhaps includes at inside linebacker. With Roquan Smith sidelined this past week with a hamstring injury, both third-year linebacker Trenton Simpson and fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan struggled mightily. Could undrafted free agent rookie Jay Higgins IV also be an option? “You look at how guys did, where guys are at, what you need to do, and who else might need an opportunity,” Harbaugh said of potential personnel changes. “A lot of that’s with the injuries, too, getting guys back. That’ll take some pressure off some guys that were thrown into a tough spot. “There’s things that we just have to look at and say, ‘We have to find some different ways to put our guys in some spots to be able to make some plays.’ We have to try to manufacture some things.” That extends to putting pressure on the quarterback, which would, in turn, take pressure off a secondary that has been battered by a rash of injuries. After finishing with the second-most sacks in the NFL last season, only two teams have fewer than the Ravens’ six this year. Baltimore has also forced the second-fewest turnovers this season with just two. READER POLL: Should the Ravens make coaching changes? Offensive line With running back Derrick Henry held to 50 yards or fewer for a fourth straight game and Baltimore ranking in the middle of the pack in rushing yards per game (115.6), the offensive line has come under scrutiny. Asked directly if there could be changes up front, Harbaugh said, “Everything’s on the table.” “When Kyle’s [Hamilton] healthy, I know he’s gonna be our starting safety and Marlon’s [Humphrey] gonna be our starting nickel, but there are guys that are in that area where they still have to prove themselves, and those guys are under consideration all the time,” he continued. “There are other starters because they have earned that to a point, but you have to keep earning that. “You can’t plateau. … If we were hoping for you to make more progress as a player and it’s not happening, then at some point in time somebody else is gonna get a chance.” The biggest offender for the Ravens has been left guard Andrew Vorhees, a 2023 seventh-round draft pick who sat out his first year because of a torn ACL and lost his starting role in 2024 after an ankle injury early in the season. Who could the Ravens turn to? One option could be veteran Ben Cleveland, though they’ve been reticent to do so now and in the past, while another could be second-year former Maryland standout Corey Bullock. Ravens quarterback Cooper Rush warms up alongside quarterbacks coach Tee Martin before Sunday's game against the Texans. Rush struggled in his first start with Baltimore, throwing three interceptions. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Quarterback Against the Texans, backup quarterback Cooper Rush completed 14 of 20 passes for 179 yards. He also had zero touchdowns and three interceptions. With Jackson possibly, if not likely, sidelined for this week’s showdown against the Rams, would Harbaugh consider utilizing the more mobile and third-string quarterback Tyler Huntley? He certainly didn’t shut down the possibility. “We’ll consider everything,” he said. “Every part of it to try to get the win.” Huntley also brings familiarity. A former undrafted free agent in 2020, he spent his first four seasons in the NFL in Baltimore. During that time, he started nine games, with the Ravens going 3-6 in those games, including a playoff loss to the Bengals in 2022. Last season, he appeared in five games for the Miami Dolphins and guided them to a 2-3 record. For his career, Huntley has completed 64.6% of his passes for 2,786 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. He has also rushed for 644 yards and five scores on 141 carries. 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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