ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago The Ravens’ search for a head coach grinds on, for now at least. Owner Steve Bisciotti fired John Harbaugh on Jan. 6. More than two weeks later, general manager Eric DeCosta, executive vice president Ozzie Newsome and president Sashi Brown have interviewed more than 15 candidates. Some of them — Kevin Stefanski and Robert Saleh — have since landed elsewhere. Others – including Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver – have been to Owings Mills for a second, in-person and thus more in-depth sessions. The last time Baltimore was in this position 18 years ago, the number of men who interviewed was about one-third of this year’s total, but former longtime NFL general manager and executive Bill Polian isn’t surprised that it’s different now. “When you’re in their position, when you’re eyeing someone new after a long period of time, the wider the net you cast, the better,” he said. Rules have also changed since, from the expansion of the Rooney Rule for minority candidates to the timing of interviews. “That way, you’ll end up with a really good cross-section. “Plus, it’s a really good job, so people are going to line up for it.” The Ravens have, broadly speaking, built an organization that has long been the envy of many around the NFL for their stability and consistency of winning with only three losing seasons since 2008, the year Harbaugh was hired. Whether that endures, though, remains to be seen, though there is confidence among the league’s cognoscenti. But it will be largely dependent upon who takes over. Paramount within that is what kind of relationship the next coach has with quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson. Those elements, along with a few others, will determine whether Baltimore continues to be held in high regard, sustain on-field success and reach its goal of winning a third Super Bowl title and its first since the 2012 season. It also starts with Jackson. Former safety and ex-NFL executive Louis Riddick, whose front office stints included stops in Washington and with the Philadelphia Eagles before he became an analyst for ESPN, believes there is nothing more important than the dynamic between the next coach and the star quarterback. “I don’t really know what the magic relationship is for that coach,” Riddick said. “Relationships are a two-way street. Accountability has to be something that’s prioritized on all sides. The coach, they’re in the business of accountability or they wouldn’t be head coaches. As the franchise quarterback, you have to be accountable — to the organization, your teammates — be dependable, available, accountable, set the tone, set the standard. All those kind of things are going to have to be the basis of that relationship. It’s nonnegotiable. “Whoever it is they ultimately decide upon has to have a relationship with Lamar, that everything is on the table and everything is an open-book policy, because that’s the most important relationship in the organization.” Riddick added that there was a lot of blame to go around for the Ravens’ failings this season, which included an 8-9 record and not reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after beginning the year as the betting favorite to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy. He also doesn’t necessarily buy into things running their course and said the blame went far beyond just Harbaugh, Jackson or both. “In my time in the league, I don’t remember all of a sudden sitting in a meeting room thinking because of some fire-and-brimstone-ass speech I got from Bill [Belichick] or Nick [Saban] or Jerry Glanville or Jon Gruden that all of a sudden I was going to catch the ball in the red zone or protect the ball. Simply, it’s about being a professional,” Riddick said. “There are always schemes, strategies, tactics that coaches get wrong and sometimes it costs teams. They need to be held accountable. Players need to be held accountable, too, for fumbling the football and committing turnovers. I don’t like when the discourse centers solely on what coaches are responsible for. Players are responsible, too.” That includes Jackson, Riddick said, adding that it’s also not mutually exclusive to him. “Lamar is going to have a lot of responsibility,” he continued. “If the same kind of things crop up in key moments where you’re fumbling the football — and I’m not talking about just him — and not catching the football, committing critical coverage busts, missing tackles, you don’t have the personnel to be able to rush the passer, then everybody needs to be held accountable. But it all starts with him. “That next coach will have to strike that same kind of relationship with him that John had early on and maybe wasn’t as productive as it needed to be later on.” Jackson, however, makes Baltimore’s job especially appealing. Eight seasons into his career, the 29-year-old former first-round pick who said he planned to bring a championship to Charm City the night Baltimore selected him in the draft remains one of, if not the game’s most dynamic and explosive players. He is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks, breaking Michael Vick’s record in 41 fewer games. Jackson is also just a season removed from career highs in touchdown passes (41) and passing yards (4,172). Yet, Jackson is also coming off the worst year of his tenure, one that was plagued by myriad injuries that caused him to miss four games and saw significant drop-offs across most metrics. Amid the injuries, he was reluctant to have some designed quarterback runs be part of the game plan, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, and for two straight months missed at least one practice a week. Still, the appeal of the job is obvious. “When you have a quarterback, you’ve solved the biggest piece of the puzzle,” Polian said. “Hopefully, he’s got at least five or six years left as a top guy. That’s enticing. “Secondly, they’ve got a core bunch of guys that are really good football players. Those two things are enticing. Third, you’re going to an organization that’s sound and solid, football-oriented. They do everything right in a great market. What’s not to like?” The belief within the organization is that the same question will be able to be applied to whoever is hired to become the fourth head coach in the franchise’s 31-year history. Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver watches training camp in 2024. Weaver is one of a few candidates to interview twice for the Ravens' head coach opening. (Lynne Sladky/AP file) Among the long list of interviewees, Minter and Weaver are two names that have percolated in recent days. That’s not surprising after second-round interviews and because of their makeup. Riddick called both “rock solid” and said that each has “head coach written all over them.” He noted that both are sharp, organized, detail-oriented, know the game, prioritize relationships and communication, understand that it is not a one-size-fits-all league, understand the landscape of dealing with players and how to connect with them, as well as put them in position to succeed. Minter also turned down a second interview with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, so it’s possible he could be closing in on Baltimore’s or another team’s opening. “The interview process itself, it’s so important for the people doing the interviewing to know exactly what it is they’re looking for and be able to recognize it when they hear it,” Riddick said. “I’ll never doubt Steve. He’s hired some pretty damn good coaches.” Polian is equally confident. “John was the right guy in the right place,” he said. “They have to find the next right guy. He may not be the person everybody in the media or the fans think is the right guy, but they don’t have to win the press conference, they have to win on the field. They know what they’re looking for. They have the template. They’re not wandering around wondering what they should emphasize. “They’ll pick the right head coach, whether [he’s an] offensive or defensive [guy]. That’s what John was. He was on nobody’s hot list. Eighteen years later, he’s the winningest coach in franchise history.” 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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