Jesse Minter doesn't have his coordinators yet, but he knows who will be calling the defensive plays.
As is no surprise, the Ravens' new head coach confirmed Thursday at his introductory press conference that he will wear the headset for the defense.
"I do plan on calling the defense. I think that's a strength of mine. I think that's one of the reasons I'm sitting here," Minter said.
In his two years as the Chargers' defensive coordinator, they ranked third in the NFL in points allowed (19.9), seventh in yards per play (5.2) and fifth in passing yards per game (193.4) despite not being loaded with first-round picks and Pro Bowlers like the Ravens' roster.
Minter said he's confident that he can handle both head coach and play-caller responsibilities.
"I have a really good process, I feel, to do what I need to do to be ready to call the game, but also have the ability to be the head coach and to impact the entire roster, the entire team," Minter said.
"[I'll] make sure that it's our offense, our defense, our special teams, and that there's no divide there. I know I'm in charge of all that."
There are some other head coaches around the league who call their team's defensive plays, including Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald, who is heading to this year's Super Bowl in his second year on the job.
Other head coaches who call their teams' defensive plays are the Texans' DeMeco Ryans, Buccaneers' Todd Bowles, and Commanders' Dan Quinn. Aaron Glenn said he will take over those duties in his second year with the Jets, and Robert Saleh will reportedly do so in Tennessee.
Minter is in the process of determining who his coordinators will be, but said the Ravens are "far along" in that search. He said he won't confirm any hires at this point.
"Both of those searches are going really well," Minter said. "We're finalizing a few of those pieces. I'm looking for leaders, connectors and relationship builders and schematic expertise. But most importantly, guys that the players believe in, that they're willing to dive deep and build real strong relationships with the players."
