ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago New Ravens coach Jesse Minter faces a challenging task. He is filling the shoes of a man who led a franchise for 18 years, won a Super Bowl and coached the only Ravens era many young Baltimore fans have known. Then again, Minter isn’t trying to be former coach John Harbaugh. “[I want] to take the foundation in place and build on it and make it better and put my own spin on it,” Minter said at Thursday’s introductory news conference. “Not trying to be John Harbaugh, or Jim Harbaugh — being myself.” Minter, 42, became the fourth head coach in Baltimore franchise history after Harbaugh was fired on Jan. 6. He has already seen what Ravens culture looks like from the inside, spending four years in the organization from 2017 to 2020. He worked his way up as a defensive assistant before becoming a defensive backs coach in 2020. General manager Eric DeCosta even joked about the idea of Minter as a head coach now. “I didn’t really ever think of him like that,” DeCosta said, remembering Minter as the assistant who chopped tape on late-round defensive back prospects. But Minter understands what the organization is supposed to look like, and what it has long been built upon. “Physical, tough, relentless, together,” Minter described what his teams will look like. “When people turn on a film, I want them to see a team that’s really well connected, a place 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.” Harbaugh, who has since taken a job with the Giants, was among the mentors Minter credited Thursday. First came his father, Rick Minter, who has coached football for over 45 years. Then came the two Harbaugh brothers, shaped by his four years in Baltimore and later working with Jim Harbaugh in both Michigan and Los Angeles. Harbaugh even texted Minter, “I think they should hire you” after being fired himself. “Those three have been very influential on me — all different styles,” Minter said. “I try to take things from all of them that help prepare me to be myself, and I’ll be the best head coach I can be.” Minter also confirmed he plans to call the defense this upcoming season. Harbaugh, who acted as a “CEO” coach, never acted as the team’s primary offensive or defensive play-caller. “I think that’s a strength of mine. I think that’s one of the reasons I’m sitting here,” Minter said. The recent results from his teams give reason for optimism in that approach. The Chargers have held a top 10 scoring defense the past two seasons with him as the play-caller. That followed two years at Michigan conceding 16.1 and 10.4 points per game, the seventh-least and nation’s least, respectively. Baltimore, meanwhile, dropped from the league’s top scoring defense to 18th since the 2023 campaign. The group still contains talent for Minter to work with, even after regression in the past two years. He believes he can get it back to its reputation. “There’s a fundamental level needed required to play great defense,” Minter said. “We will harp on [it] tremendously.” Minter said he still keeps the rejection letters from early in his career, but he’s no longer motivated by proving people wrong. He’s motivated by proving people right. Baltimore is now the biggest test of that shift. He’s inheriting a team with championship expectations, a quarterback he called “elite,” and a defense with pieces like Kyle Hamilton, a “weapon” he wants near the point of attack. He also inherits the weight of continuity, a franchise that has had only four head coaches in its history. If Minter can blend the Ravens’ familiar edge with his own voice and demands, the transition won’t be measured by how different he is from Harbaugh. It’ll be measured by whether the Ravens look “physical, tough, relentless, together.” That’s what has defined the franchise, and what Minter wants to bring back. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article Quote
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