ExtremeRavens Posted 16 hours ago Posted 16 hours ago On Thursday, the Ravens formally introduced new head coach Jesse Minter. Among those in attendance in Owings Mills were the usual throng of family members, front office executives, a gaggle of staff and roughly two dozen former and current players. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was not one of them. Jackson, of course, was hardly alone. Only a handful of current players were in the audience, with defensive tackle Travis Jones the most prominent. As another example, All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, the highest paid player at his position in the NFL, and Pro Bowl linebacker Roquan Smith were also among those absent. It is, after all, the offseason, Jackson prefers to retreat to his home in South Florida this time of year and things ended earlier than expected and in frustratingly familiar fashion for the Ravens, who finished 8-9 to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2021. That, and more importantly recent postseason futility, led to John Harbaugh’s firing, which led to Minter’s hiring. While Jackson was nowhere to be seen on Thursday, Minter did say, however, that he has already had “multiple” conversations with the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player in the week since he has been hired. The 42-year-old first-time head coach and former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator praised for his ability to connect with people also said that he is interested in helping Jackson “become the best version of himself, creating a team identity that allows him to thrive, which he’s already proven to be one of the best players in the National Football League.” “It’s been great to get to know him,” Minter said. “I think relationships take time. And so, you don’t become the head coach of the Ravens and expect to have a deep relationship with anybody. Those take time. We’ve been working towards that already. We’ve had wonderful conversations, look forward to many, many more.” How those conversations manifest to results on the field will play out in the months ahead and will also largely hinge on who Minter hires as his offensive coordinator. Over the past three years, Todd Monken held the job before Harbaugh was fired and Monken went on to become the Cleveland Browns coach. During their time together, Jackson won a second NFL MVP Award after the 2023 season and a year later posted career highs in passing yards (4,172) and touchdown passes (41). But this past season, things seemed to hit a wall. Jackson suffered myriad injuries, including to his hamstring, knee, ankle and toe, and missed four games. He also asked that certain quarterback run plays not be part of the game plan, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, and had in most ways the worst year of his career. Questions percolated about the relationship between the quarterback, Harbaugh and Monken. Though the latter two said that they had no issues with Jackson, and Bisciotti said that Jackson told him he had no problems with either, it was clear a schism had developed. Ravens coach Jesse Minter was greeted by past and present Baltimore players during his introduction Thursday. (Kevin Richardson/Staff) Things were only exacerbated by the fact that over Jackson’s eight seasons, Baltimore has won just three playoff games and never advanced beyond the AFC championship game. He, like the team around him, has often regressed when the stakes have been at their highest as well, with 10 touchdown passes alongside 11 turnovers in eight games. Simply put, as one source said of the regime change, “it was time.” One of Minter’s biggest tasks, then, will be to keep Jackson engaged off the field and on schedule on it, have him get the ball out quickly and utilize the dynamic talents that have propelled him to becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher among quarterbacks while also improving exponentially as a passer. Brilliant as he is at freelancing, it’s also tough to be consistent when doing so. Put another way, the Ravens also go as Jackson does and it will be up to Minter, along with those he surrounds himself with, to reach the player he reverently calls the best in the sport. Minter and Jackson, of course, are also not strangers. Minter was in his second year as a defensive assistant in Baltimore when the Ravens drafted Jackson in 2018. A year later, Jackson took over as the full-time starter, Minter was promoted to assistant defensive backs coach and the quarterback won his first NFL MVP Award in coordinator Greg Roman’s offense. In 2020, Minter was promoted to defensive backs coach before heading to Vanderbilt and then Michigan and then the Chargers for defensive coordinator jobs. So what kind of coordinators and assistants are Minter seeking as he zeroes in on those decisions in the coming hours and days? “I’m looking for leaders and connectors and relationship builders and schematic expertise,” he said. “But most importantly, guys that the players believe in. [Coaches] that are willing to dive deep and build really strong relationships with the players. “I think [we will excel] when they feel that it’s collaborative, and they feel that it’s ours and not just the coaches, and [don’t think that] this is what the players do, and this is what the coaches do. It’s all of us.” No one more so than Jackson. 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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