Lamar Jackson on Ravens' Offense: 'I Don't Believe a Defense Is Prepared for What's in Store for Them'
If Ravens fans need any more reason to be excited about the offense under new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle, quarterback Lamar Jackson has given it to them.
In an interview with Adam Schein of Sirius XM's "Schein on Sports," Jackson did not mince words when asked what Ravens fans should expect from the offense.
"I just can't wait to showcase it," Jackson said. "From practice and what I've been seeing on film, I don't believe a defense is prepared for what's in store for them."
Jackson praised Doyle's attention to detail and noted that "there's a lot of moving parts" with the offense. Doyle said on Wednesday that he's pleased with Jackson's grasp of the offense.
"I think that he has continued to grow within the system," Doyle said. "He has continued to grow within the language, in and out of the huddle. The operation is probably the No. 1 thing that I would say has accelerated exponentially. It comes very naturally to him. He has played a lot of football. He is starting to really take over, and you can feel that from him in and out of the huddle."
Jesse Minter Says That's a Wrap on His Rap Career
The opening line of Eminem's rap classic "Lose Yourself" talks about having only one shot to seize the moment.
Head Coach Jesse Minter took the lyric to heart when he was handed the mic and encouraged by the players to do a song at the team dinner a couple weeks ago.
Everyone who's seen the viral video of Minter rapping "Lose Yourself" knows his performance brought the house down. Just don't expect an encore.
"No encores," Minter said on “The Ryan Ripken Show.” "You're only a rookie head coach once. You only have to do the rookie show one time. So that was the agreement that we made with a couple of the vets on the team, and I think I'm good to go now."
Minter also reflected on his first training camp as a head coach and what he's taken from the experience.
"I think the most stressful part for me because I'm a defensive coordinator prior, so I'm still kind of wearing [that] hat and doing some of those things, but just making a schedule and making sure that we're doing enough, that everybody has a chance to get what they need," Minter said. "Whether it's a vet or a rookie, that you're doing enough reps, that you're getting enough work, that you're being physical enough, that you're obviously getting into game shape.
"And then I kind of made a decision early because of the veteran nature of our team that the guys wouldn't play in the preseason. So then you're kind of trying to find ways to simulate some game-type things from a conditioning standpoint. So it honestly was like a daily process of what went well today, how can we do a little bit better tomorrow. … For the most part, I feel like we're in a good head space and a good place going into the season."
Daniel Jeremiah Compares Vega Ioane to Marshal Yanda
One of the keys to the Ravens getting improved play from its offensive line this season is for first-round right guard Vega Ioane to acclimate quickly to the NFL.
NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah believes Ioane is poised to do so. The analyst ranked Ioane at No. 3 on his list of the top five rookies who will make an instant impact.
"I got back to my time there when we drafted Marshal Yanda. Very similar players," said Jeremiah, a former personnel assistant and scout with the Ravens. "[The Ravens] know how to identify this type of offensive lineman and they know exactly what to do with them. Derrick Henry is going to love running behind this Penn State guard."
Being mentioned in the same sentence as Yanda is high praise. Yanda was a seven-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler over his 13 seasons in Baltimore (2007-19) and has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame the past two years.
Pundits Are Split Between Ravens and Bengals for AFC North Title
With less than a week until the start of the regular season, pundits are dropping their predictions for the season.
NFL.com's panel of 19 analysts picked the Ravens by the narrowest of margins to win the AFC North over the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore got 10 votes to Cincinnati's nine.
"New Head Coach Jesse Minter brings a fresh voice to a Ravens defense that added stud edge rusher Trey Hendrickson this offseason," Chad Reuter wrote. "Combine a strong defense with a healthy Lamar Jackson and still hungry Derrick Henry, and you've got Baltimore returning to the top of the division."
Eight of the nine analysts who picked the Bengals to win the division had the Ravens making the playoffs as a wild card.
FOX Sports’ Nick Wright not only predicted the Ravens to finish first in the division (followed by the Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns), but he also had them securing the No. 1 seed in the conference.
"I would be shocked if they don't start 6-0," Wright said. "I think Minter is a breath of fresh air this year. I think Lamar might win his third NFL MVP. They might be a regular season juggernaut."
Wright's colleague Chris Broussard had the same order for the AFC North, while Danny Parkins switched the Ravens and Bengals at the top.
The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia had the Bengals (11-6) winning the division and the Ravens (11-6) as a wild card.
"I like the Ravens as a wild-card team with a Super Bowl ceiling," Kapadia wrote. "But ultimately, I think that they probably need one more offseason to build up the roster."
Ravens Projected to Have Top 10 Offense and Defense
On paper, the Ravens look like one of the league's most complete teams, which is why pundits have ranked both the offense and defense among the top 10 of their respective units.
Baltimore landed at No. 10 in NFL,com’s Dan Parr’s top offense rankings.
"Let's keep in mind the Lamar Jackson-led group ranked among the top three in OPPG in 2023 and 2024 before last season's injury-plagued debacle," Parr wrote. "It's not difficult to envision things moving in the wrong direction if the learning curve for new HC Jesse Minter and OC Declan Doyle is steeper than expected, but for now, I'm counting on enough of a bounce-back for Baltimore to sneak back into the top 10."
On the other side of the ball, the Ravens were No. 9 in The Ringer’s Anthony Dabbundo’s ranking of all 32 defenses.
"The addition of Trey Hendrickson from Cincinnati gives the Ravens a proven edge rusher who can win without schematic assistance, allowing the rest of the defense to become less desperate on passing downs," Dabbundo wrote. "Baltimore's secondary was never as bad as its ugliest stretches suggested. Kyle Hamilton remains the league's most versatile safety, capable of playing deep, covering the slot, and fitting the run."
