New Ravens Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle has had plenty of time to game plan for Sunday's season-opener against the Indianapolis Colts and his first game calling plays.
On Wednesday, Doyle shared what that process looks like with star quarterback Lamar Jackson and how it will operate moving forward.
First, the game plan will be installed with the quarterback. Then, it will be with the entire offense. Once the offense is comfortable with it, they'll walk through the game plan. Once everybody is comfortable with that, they'll walk through it with the defense and then practice it.
After practice, it's back to the classroom, where Doyle will have post-practice meetings with his offense. Following all those meetings, he will sit down with Jackson one-on-one in his office.
"It takes as long as it takes. I kind of explained that to him, 'I don't want to always hold you hostage, but at the same point of time, I need to know what you're feeling,'" Doyle said.
"We kind of go through each call, what things he might need more reps of, what things that he's looking at and he's like, 'You know, I don't really feel good about this quite yet, I need another shot of this,' or plays that he's like, 'Man, I love this, we need to get to this early.'"
It's an indication of the buy-in and communication that Doyle and Jackson have built thus far over the offseason. Their relationship has gotten off to a roaring start.
"Trying to make sure that that line of communication stays open and make sure that his opinion is valued," Doyle said. "When we're calling plays in a game, I never want to call a play that he doesn't feel great about because he's the one who has got to go execute it. So that communication has been great; it'll continue to be that way."
Doyle's Younger Brother Is Helping Colts Prepare for Ravens
Doyle's younger brother, Dillon, is in his first year as a defensive quality control coach for the Colts.
That means Dillon has been studying his brother's offenses in the preseason, likely from his time in Chicago and Denver, trying to figure out what he might have in store for the Colts this Sunday.
"It's actually a funny situation," Declan said. "My little brother is a defensive quality control coach for the Colts. So, he's the one breaking down the tape and [things] like that. So, I haven't talked to him for a while."
The brothers knew they would be trying to outsmart the other since the schedule was released in May.
"I love my brother, but it is what it is," Declan said. "You have to go play, and it's a competitive league and that's the way it goes."
While the Ravens have plenty of tape on how Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen operated his offense and how veteran Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo calls his defense, Doyle has more of an advantage as a first-time play-caller who has come from two systems with Sean Payton and Ben Johnson.
"I think anytime that you're a new staff or you're a new play-caller, you have the advantage of the element of surprise a little bit," Doyle said. "There may be a little bit of tape out there on us from the preseason, and yet we feel like we have quite a bit that we haven't shown.
"So, you can go back, and I think anytime you put an offense together and you build it kind of from scratch, there are parts of everything that you bring to it. There are parts of different elements of our staff that are new to this offense, and this offense is the 2026 Baltimore Ravens — that's what it is. It's not any one thing from the past, but yes, certainly, having less tape is always a good thing."
Calais Campbell's Snap Count Will Be Monitored
Calais Campbell turned 40 years old on Sept. 1. He's entering his 19th season as a key starter on Baltimore's defensive line.
"Father Time is undefeated in this whole business, but I am trying to stay around for just one more round," Campbell said. "I feel pretty good about where I am at right now. Practiced really hard [Tuesday]. Hopefully on Sunday all the hard work will pay off."
Campbell said he hasn't talked to coaches about how many snaps he plans to play a game since when he signed. He told "The Lounge" podcast that his target is around 30 snaps.
"I think it is probably going to be a lot up to me [and] how I am feeling out there," Campbell said. "I am going to be pretty honest. I do not want to suck out there. I am not going to try to play every play in a row and then [be] sucking wind for the rest of the game. I am kind of experienced at being old. I know what I need to do to be able to still be effective on the field."
Campbell was still very productive last season with the Arizona Cardinals, logging 6.5 sacks. This year, the Ravens have more depth on their defensive line, and Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver wants to keep Campbell fresh.
"Nobody knows his body better than Calais, right?" Weaver said. "He has been doing this a long time. We have to make sure we are not trying to interfere with his pension plan or anything like that with the amount of snaps he is going to get."
