ExtremeRavens Posted 15 hours ago Posted 15 hours ago Jesse Minter is on a learning curve, but the Ravens’ first-year head coach said what he needed to Thursday at his introductory news conference. Minter, 42, said that he will run the defense. That might end up being a mistake as 2026 rolls along, but it’s a necessary risk at this point. The Ravens were ranked 24th in total yards, allowing an average 354.5 yards per game and were ranked No. 31 in pass defense. So, Minter, who has a strong defensive background, will call the plays for the Ravens next season. That might sound a little strange for a coach who was hired as a CEO of one of the NFL’s top franchises, but it makes perfect sense. The Ravens need to get back to their roots of being a blue-collar team built on defense. That’s a great thing with such an unpredictable offense. “I do plan on calling the defense,” Minter said. “I think that’s a strength of mine. I think that’s one of the reasons I’m sitting here, but I also think it’s my leadership qualities. I have a really good process, I feel, to do what I need to to do to be ready to call the game, but I also have the ability to be the head coach and to impact the entire roster, the entire team, and make sure that’s its our offense, defense, our special teams, and that’s no divide there. “I know that I’m in charge of all that, but it really starts with the relationships with the people in the building, particularly the players. I think they feel my competitiveness, they’ll feel my mentality every day, and I think we’ll work hand in hand to build a great team.” Translation: It’s unlikely the Ravens will be able to hire a defensive coordinator with as strong a pedigree as Cleveland’s Jim Schwartz or even Denver’s Jim Leonhard, who is the Broncos’ defensive pass game coordinator. Both will probably want the freedom to make an impact and put their signatures on games. Minter might end up hiring a coordinator such as Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen or maybe former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. They might provide input on game plans, but the final decisions belong to Minter. One thing is certain: It’s a great increase in pay. “I won’t confirm any hires at this point,” Minter said. “Both of those searches are going really well. They’re very far along, I would say. We’re finalizing a few of those pieces. I’m looking for leaders and connectors and relationship builders and schematic expertise, but most importantly, guys that the players believe in.” Eventually, Minter could turn over the defense to a coordinator, but not now. This team has way too many problems. The Ravens allowed 45 sacks but only generated 30, and they were lost on the back end of the defense. Teams took advantage of beating cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins on the outside, and safety Malaki Starks, the team’s first-round draft pick last April, started the season well but struggled near the end. With the neck injury to defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike casting doubts over his availability in 2026 and beyond, this defense might be in a rebuild mode. The Ravens spent a lot of time talking to former players who spent time with Minter such as safeties Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson. That meant a lot to Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who also spoke with team executives and assistant coaches. Minter has also worked with his share of “head cases” in Baltimore such as Humphrey, cornerback Marcus Peters and safety Earl Thomas. The conclusion reached by general manager Eric DeCosta, president Sashi Brown and executive vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome was that Minter had a strong relationship with his players, including the alpha males. Remember, former coach John Harbaugh got rid of most of those guys, such as middle linebacker Ray Lewis, receiver Anquan Boldin and safeties Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard soon after the Ravens won the Super Bowl in the 2012 season. Harbaugh later realized that he couldn’t win without them, which was part of his evolution as a coach. Minter might be going through a similar stage, even though young head coaches such as the Los Angeles Rams’ Sean McVay (40) and the Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald (38) are successfully leaning on their backgrounds. Minter was a Ravens defensive assistant backs coach in 2019 and became the coach at that position in 2020. At Michigan, he coordinated the Wolverines’ 2023 unit that led the country in total defense and scoring defense. In 2024, the Chargers improved dramatically and last season Los Angeles was seventh in the NFL with 45 sacks and third in interceptions with 19. Minter is very familiar with the “Ravens Way,” but he declined to get into the problems associated with last year’s Ravens defense. Smart move. Everything has to stay internal, even criticism of former defensive coordinators and assistant coaches. “I’ll dive deep into that over the next month or so,” Minter said. “I have a ton of respect for the coaches that have been here [and] the players. I think about defense a certain way. They’ll learn how I think about it and how I feel about it. I think there’s a fundamental level needed [that’s] required to play great defense that we will harp on tremendously, and so I look forward to getting with the guys [and for] them to kind of learn my thoughts on how you play great defense. I look forward to going to work on that.” Minter, though, agreed that safety Kyle Hamilton’s value is obvious from film study. Hamilton was second on the team with 105 tackles, 25 behind leading tackler and middle linebacker Roquan Smith. “Kyle [Hamilton] is a weapon,” he said. “He is a position-less defensive player that I would classify as a weapon on defense. As much as you can do to get a guy like Kyle near the point of attack, I think, is what you try to do as a designer [or] play-caller. I could not be more thrilled to be able to work with Kyle. I’ve had a couple of really good conversations with him already. I know he’s excited, and I’m excited to work with him alongside all the really great players that we have in this organization.” View this post on Instagram It’s an exciting time for Ravens football. It’s about going back to their true nature. It’s about going back to their roots. Minter, for at least a day, had all the right answers. “Our football identity — I would say — is physical, tough, relentless and [playing] together,” he said. “I think when people turn on our film, I want them to see a team that’s really well connected [and] that plays for each other. And I think when you do that – when you play like a Raven – you play together. It’s more about everybody that’s out there with you. You’re not just playing for yourself; you’re playing for everybody.” “There’s a physicality that comes along with that. There’s a mental and physical toughness that comes along with that. There are schematic things that come along with that. All the great coaches over time that have been here and that have led historical outputs on both sides of the ball. I think that all encompasses what it means to play like a Raven. And I’m really look forward to building that with our team, creating our own identity in that regard and building on what’s been done here in the past.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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