ExtremeRavens Posted 2 hours ago Posted 2 hours ago First-year head coach Jesse Minter attended his news conference in tennis shoes, a slightly grey and beige sports coat, tennis shoes and a hooded shirt. The new wave has arrived at The Castle. Minter, 42, was in Owings Mills on Wednesday to introduce his three coordinators in Declan Doyle (offense), 29, Anthony Weaver (defense), 45, and Anthony Levine Sr. (special teams), 38. Minter, of course, talked about the basics of returning the Ravens into an old-guard team built on being physical, executing and hungry after a year of disappointment. The more interesting question was if Weaver could turn this defense into one of the most physical teams that dominated in the early part of the century? Minter, though, was prepared for the trick questions when asked about his draft preference. “I guess you just have to tune in,” Minter said, smiling. There have been numerous draft projections with the Ravens taking a wide receiver at No. 14 overall in the first round, but that’s ridiculous. The Ravens need some beef on both interior lines, so they can’t go wrong with an offensive or defensive lineman. But unless it’s Jonathan Ogden, who was taken with the No. 4 overall pick in 1996, the Ravens need to find a defensive lineman and edge rusher. There are a lot of them available, like Texas Tech’s David Bailey, Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr., or Ohio State’s Arvell Reese coming off the edge, or maybe an interior defensive lineman like Clemson’s Peter Woods, Florida’s Caleb Banks or Georgia’s Christen Miller. On Wednesday, Weaver was full of coach speak. He talked about all the weapons the Ravens had in the secondary, like cornerback Nate Wiggins and safety Kyle Hamilton. He said nice things about the Ravens’ pass rush from a year ago that produced only 30 sacks. By the time the news conference was over, it was as if the Ravens suddenly had Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor on the roster. “We certainly have rushers, right?” Weaver said. “I think it took a hit with losing Nnamdi Madubuike. I think we all know the effect of losing him had on this defense, but from a talent standpoint, we certainly have some dudes that can get there.” Where? Now, put all jokes aside and let’s be serious. The Ravens were 29th in pressure with a success rate of 32.1%. They were 18th in points allowed at 23.4 and 23rd in yards (348 per game). They were ranked 31st in pass defense, allowing 247.9 yards a game and nearly led the NFL by squandering 46 fourth-quarter leads under former coach John Harbaugh. If I were Madubuike, I’d retire instead of playing with any form of a neck injury. It’s just common sense. It was more interesting that Weaver talked about the basics. It was boring stuff, like getting off blocks and all 11 players running to the ball. But that happens when a defense becomes great, like Weaver when he was drafted by the Ravens in the second round in 2002, and he played next to defensive lineman Kelly Gregg and linebackers Ray Lewis, Bart Scott, Adalius Thomas and Peter Boulware. The Ravens excelled in run defense. They got penetration off the snap of the ball. No offense to former Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr, but the Ravens were lost in the fourth quarter against strong passing teams. Regardless of what anyone says about building a team around a quarterback, it’s defense that wins games. There is talk around town about adding another receiver, but the Ravens have tried that before with veterans like DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. It didn’t work out. Also, please stop the noise about adding Marquise “Hollywood” Brown through free agency. The Ravens don’t need another small receiver who falls quickly or runs out of bounds after a reception. If the Ravens draft a receiver, at least make it a big No. 1 receiver type on the outside. As always, it’s back to defense. Just look at the past two Super Bowls. A few weeks ago, Seattle pounded the New England Patriots, 29-13, as quarterback Drake Maye completed 27 of 43 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. He was sacked six times, most of those from Seattle’s front four. The previous year, Philadelphia beat Kansas City, 40-22, in the Super Bowl as quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times, again most of those from the Eagles’ front four. If a team can’t score, it can’t win, and that’s a sound philosophy. That’s why it’s good to have Weaver back on the coaching staff, even though he did get beat out by Orr for the job two years ago. He understands the way this team has been built through the years, and the Ravens always did it through the draft. It was notable how Minter described former Ravens and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh going from zero sacks in his first five games with the Ravens to seven once he was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in early October this past season. “We just simplified things,” Minter said. It should work again in Baltimore. Just make it simple and play great defense. It has worked for the Eagles and the Seahawks the past two years. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. Ravens defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, shown at Wednesday's news conference, wants his Baltimore defense to handle the basics well. (Brian Krista/Staff) View the full article Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.