Baltimore Ravens Rectify Mistake with New HC Hire
The Baltimore Ravens had Mike Macdonald, the potential Coach of the Year, in the building and let him go elsewhere. Just two years after that, they fired longtime head coach John Harbaugh, revealing their catastrophic mistake. However, in doing so, they admitted the mistake, and now, with their new head coach hire, they might have rectified it.
Baltimore Ravens hire Jesse Minter as new head coach
The Baltimore Ravens probably regret letting Mike Macdonald go. He coaches the best defense in football without a single first-team All-Pro, which is a massive achievement. He's won 23 regular-season games in two seasons, and he has the Seattle Seahawks on the cusp of the Super Bowl.
The Ravens have won just 20 games since he left, and their defense has struggled. They've also not made it past the Divisional Round, so they fired John Harbaugh, something they might wish they'd done when Macdonald was around.
Nevertheless, it's better to admit a mistake and fix it late than to never do it at all. In hiring Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, the Ravens might have fixed it. He may be no Macdonald, but he was one of the most sought-after candidates this cycle.
"I am truly honored to serve as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens," Minter said in a statement to ESPN. "This is an organization whose values, culture, and tradition of excellence reflect everything I believe about the game of football and how it should be played."
Ironically, Minter has been with the former Ravens coach's brother, Jim, for four years. He was Harbaugh's defensive coordinator at Michigan for two seasons before following Harbaugh to the NFL and taking over the Chargers' defense.
Also ironically, Minter served with the Ravens before. Prior to his stint under Harbaugh at Michigan, he was a defensive assistant with the Ravens under John Harbaugh. "Jesse was impressive throughout our incredibly thorough interview process," Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement.
"He clearly understands the values, high expectations and history of the Ravens, and he has great vision for the future. Jesse's football acumen is outstanding, and that's been proven by the impact he's made throughout his entire coaching career," the owner continued. "He's also a leader who will authentically connect with our players and inspire them to championship levels."
What this means for Lamar Jackson
Defensive head coaches usually don't mean much to quarterbacks. So while the Ravens could've hired Mike McDaniel, Joe Brady, Klint Kubiak, Klay Kubiak, Kliff Kingsbury, or any number of other offensive minds, they opted to go for a defensive coach similar to Mike Macdonald.
This does, however, leave room for the Ravens to bring in a new offensive coordinator for Jackson. Todd Monken has been his OC for a few seasons now, but Monken left with Harbaugh. He is now the New York Giants' offensive coordinator.
They could still sign some of those names, although Mike McDaniel is off the board. He'll be the Chargers OC unless he gets a head coaching job somewhere. That means the Ravens still have to find someone to coordinate for Jackson and his teammates.
This is almost as important as the head coaching hire. They're in a Super Bowl window with Jackson, so nailing the head coach matters. But since they went with a defensive mind, it is now very important that they find the right offensive coordinator.
One can assume Minter will help fix the Baltimore Ravens' defensive issues, but he doesn't do anything for the offense. Jackson is so good that the OC doesn't have to be perfect, but a good coordinator could turn this team back into a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
