Head Coach Jesse Minter Opening Statement: "Welcome everyone. Today is an exciting day – a great day for the Ravens. I will introduce these three guys who will be a huge piece of our operation, our organization, all three in leadership roles on the coaching staff, and so I couldn't be more excited about them. I will start off with our defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver. A lot of you guys know him. [He has] 15 years [coaching] in the NFL; he was here before, and he has three years of playcalling experience as well. He knows what it means to be a Raven, and that was a huge piece of it. But most importantly – more so than his experience here and more so than his experience in Miami or wherever –he's a leader, he's a connector, and he's a relationship builder. I don't think there's anybody that'll get more out of our guys than him. He's been in their shoes. He'll do a great job with our defense. I am looking forward to working with him, and I couldn't be more excited to have him. Declan Doyle, our offensive coordinator, has eight years in the league now. He was the offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears last season. He has been in the league, like I said, for a while. The thing that stood out to me about him is that he's a connector, he's a collaborator, and he's creative. He's got a great vision for what our offense should look like. We see football the same way and what it takes to be successful when it comes to creating standards, being very detailed and doing things at a high level. He's been phenomenal to work with so far. I am very excited about him and his ability to lead our offense. And then Anthony Levine [Sr.] is our special teams coordinator. Anthony was a player when I was here the first time, but I just picture him as the face of Baltimore special teams. He was that as a player; he was the captain of our special teams. [He did that] at a very high level under multiple coaches here. He's now been into the coaching ranks for four years. He's earned this position. This isn't like he was just handed this position; he's earned the right to be in this position, and he'll be a great leader for our special teams. Again, [he is] a connector [and a] relationship builder. I couldn't be more excited. These three guys will help us create the vision of what we want the team to be like, and how we want to play. We want to be a physically dominant team that really plays together, plays well-connected and plays football the right way. I couldn't be more excited about these three guys. So, we'll turn it over to 'Weave' [Anthony Weaver] for a few words from each of them, and then we'll open it up for questions."
Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver Opening Statement: "First off, [I see] a lot of familiar faces. Hi, how are you doing? Obviously, [this is an] incredible, special moment. Thanks [head] Coach [Jesse Minter] for the kind words. I feel like every time I've stepped into this place, it's been special. First, as a draft pick, getting to live a lifelong dream of being in the NFL. Coming back many years later as a coach with a few more grays, but with the same goal in mind; trying to lead, serve and help in any way I can to help deliver a championship for Baltimore. And now it's no different. [I have a] different title – a different role – but I'm still here to serve and help in any way I can. So, I am extremely excited to be here and be with these guys. I know we have everything we need to get it done."
Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle Opening Statement: "I'm Declan [Doyle], obviously, hi everybody out there. And first of all, I want to just say thank you and what a privilege it is to be here – sitting up here. Thank you to [head coach] Jesse [Minter] and the organization. Our staff is already put together and hard at work to be ready for when our guys get here [on] April 6th. We're really fired up about that. [I am] just really excited to be here and really excited to start building this thing, really, from the ground. Like Jesse said, we see the game very similarly. He talked about that in the interview process, [that] he was looking for somebody like him on the offensive side of the ball, and I certainly feel that way about him across the ball the other way. And so, I am fired up to be here and looking forward to getting to know all you guys."
Special Teams Coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. Opening Statement: "Hello, good morning. I just want to thank [owner] Steve Bisciotti, I want to thank [executive vice president and general manager] Eric DeCosta, I want to thank [executive vice president] Ozzie Newsome, and I want to thank [head coach] Jesse [Minter] for giving me this opportunity. When I came here in 2012 [as a player], I couldn't even imagine me even being able to sit in this position. I'm just so thankful. and I'm grateful for the opportunity. Working with these guys every day, seeing the way these guys play, seeing the way these guys work ... Like Jesse said, I could be the face – or being the face – of this special teams [unit], it means something. Playing like a Raven [means something]. And that's what we do here. It's a culture here. We're here to win games, and we are here to win championships. That's what we strive to do, and that's what we're going to do. I just appreciate and am thankful to be in this situation. And Jesse, I'm so thankful for you speaking highly of me. That's it."
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, welcome to Baltimore. I know a lot of fans were interested in knowing, how many times have you spoken with QB Lamar Jackson, and what's kind of your vision for Lamar in this offense? (Jamison Hensley)
(DOYLE) "I've been able to speak to [Lamar Jackson] a few times. One of them was in the interview process. I was able to sit with him for, I don't know, over an hour on a Zoom call while he was down in Florida. We talked about a lot of different subjects, but kind of go through his time in the past year and kind of what his vision is for what he needs to be able to operate at the highest level. I really wanted to see if we were compatible and if that was a fit. You're trying to figure out what the coaching structure is going to look like in that way. And so, I got a chance to visit with him then and have had a chance to visit with him a few more times since then. [We've] exchanged some texts, and I am certainly very excited about the caliber of player he is, but also just in all the conversations, his willingness to listen, his hunger to learn, and his hunger to grow. I think he does – he's a guy with a growth mindset. He's played at a really high level, and still, I think that he wants to continue to work and feels like he can get better. And so, [I] and the rest of the staff are really excited to chase that with him."
Obviously you and QB Lamar Jackson are close in age. You talked about that the other day, where you don't view that as a disadvantage and actually view it kind of as an advantage. Why do you think that's the case and how so? (Brian Wacker)
(DOYLE) "I think first of all, it starts with any of our players; it's the relationship that you build. And so, it actually is a little bit easier for me to connect with guys because we are the same age. We grew up in the same world, and I've kind of had that experience every step of the way throughout my coaching journey. I started – this is going to be my 11th year coaching, and I've pretty much been younger than every guy in the room I've been in. I've always been too young for every job I've ever had. And what I've noticed is that it really doesn't matter. Knowledge is power, and if they feel like you can help them and they feel like you can help accelerate their career and our goals as a team, guys are willing to listen, guys are willing to be taught and to grow and to work together. And so, it is a collaboration. I do think it gives me a little bit of a unique advantage, just in the fact that we kind of come from the same world."
Head coach Jesse Minter talked about the vision you have for what you want the offense to look like at its best. This offense, under QB Lamar Jackson, has been one of the more elite offenses in the league. How different do you want your offense to look? (Cordell Woodland)
(DOYLE) "That's a good question. I would say this, the way we want our offense to look, the non-negotiables, are that we are physical, we are detailed, and we are explosive. Those are the three things that are the pillars that we want to hang our hat on. I think it'd be challenging for me to speak on what's happened here in the past other than what's on tape that I've seen. Certainly in 2024, this offense was something to be reckoned with and something that we're actively chasing to kind of get back to. But when I talk about physicality, it's those guys in the perimeter being willing to block, our guys up front coming off the ball and really trying to impose their will on the defense, trying to create expansion in the defense in the run game. Us being detailed just across the board; whether that is in the passing game, the route detail, the quarterback's footwork, his eyes – all those things – or how all of our jobs fit together in the run game. And then the explosive piece is partly players, and partly coaching, really chasing explosive plays in the gameplan process, trying to stress defenses and things like that. And so, that's really my vision for what the offense is, and that's kind of the way [head coach] Jesse [Minter] and I have discussed it. And obviously, that can look different ways, depending on your personnel, and we're still in the early stages of really stripping this down to the studs and then rebuilding it around the personnel that we have here."
Is your goal to hit the ground running? Obviously, that's everyone's goal, but this team is expected to contend for a Super Bowl right away. So, there's no rebuild; there's no grace period. Is that the way you're looking at it? (Jerry Coleman)
(MINTER) "I think for us, we're on a sprint as a coaching staff up until April 6th to make sure that we're ready for the players. Then when they get here, it's about creating an environment that they feel great about, that they feel like they're becoming better, that they feel like they're improving, they feel like they're becoming the best version of themselves. And then we certainly want to have everybody to have high expectations from the outside. We want to build standards inside that match what we want the results to be. I think if we do that, we have a hungry group that is coming off of a year that they're not as proud of as some of the previous seasons, and so there is a hunger amongst the players to get right back to work and hit the ground running."
You've already talked about that you plan to call the defense on gamedays. How much dialogue during the interview process did you have with defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver about that? How does that dynamic work to make sure you're doing all you need to do as a head coach throughout the week, and he does everything that needs to be done defensively, so that it's seamless come some days on gameday? (Luke Jones)
(MINTER) "[Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and I] certainly had conversations about that, so he understood what the job was going to be, but I also was looking for a leader and somebody that could run that room. I know I'm not going to be able to be in there maybe quite as much as I was as just the defensive coordinator. And so the leadership piece, the knowledge piece – we've run similar schemes the last couple years where he's been at and where I've been at. He obviously came from here before, so there's so many great qualities of him knowing the surroundings, knowing what it means to be a Raven, knowing how we're trying to rebrand that a little bit and make it a new age of a way to 'Play like a Raven.' And so I'm super confident in Anthony's ability to lead our defense, and then us to work very close together in the game-planning process. And a lot of times – and [offensive coordinator] Declan [Doyle] was in a similar situation last year – and so we've talked about that where it's really like they're able to do a lot of that work and be prepared as if they're even going to call the game and then knowing that at the end of the day, that's the role I'm going to have on gameday."
What did you think of the pass rush that season, and what did you think of the back end of the secondary? You've watched these guys on the film, so you have to have some conclusions there. (Mike Preston)
(WEAVER) "We certainly have rushers, right? I think it took a hit with losing [Nnamdi] Madubuike. I think we all know the effect that losing him had on this defense, but from a talent standpoint, we certainly have some dudes that can get there. In the backend, we have talent all across the board. The first guy that comes to mind is Kyle Hamilton. He's the ultimate chess piece. You can do so many things with him, and you go back to a corner with Nate Wiggins and in the back with Malaki Starks, Roquan [Smith] – we have talent; there's so much talent on this defense that as a coordinator, I can't help but get up here and just smile and be happy about it, because your options are limitless in what you want to do. So, I feel really good about both of those things."
A few years ago, I think a lot of us considered you a candidate to be defensive coordinator here in Baltimore potentially. When you did not get that job and when you went to Miami, what was your reaction at that time, and what do you kind of take away from your experience as a defensive coordinator in Miami that can help you now? (Kyle Goon)
(WEAVER) "My reaction at that particular time wasn't much of a reaction at all. I think that'd probably be a question more suited for [former Ravens head coach] John [Harbaugh], who I love and respect, and I love [former Ravens defensive coordinator] Zach Orr. Shoot, I coached Zach in college, so it's not like when that hire happened, I was shocked because I have so much love and respect for Zach, too. So, it certainly made sense. Going to Miami was just an opportunity. It was an opportunity to go and show I can lead a defense again as a coordinator. So, I jumped at it, and I'm going to be honest, the no state taxes and being in sunny south Florida – that was a plus, too. But [I had] a lot of learning experiences [in Miami]. I thought we had a very connected group that flew around, played fast and physical with elite technique and fundamentals, and we'll try to recreate the same thing here but even better and try to step it up a notch. So, hopefully that answered your question."
After getting so much head-coaching interest in this cycle, why were you willing to come back to a place where you won't be calling the plays? (Giana Han)
(WEAVER) "This job and being with [head] Coach [Jesse] Minter and the staff and these players is hardly a consolation prize. And I'd be lying to you, to sit here and say that I wasn't disappointed that I didn't get a head job. But ultimately, I just came back to, 'Why am I doing this to begin with?' Selfishly I'm in it to try to win a Super Bowl, to be part of a group that's forever. So, just like you had the 25th anniversary of that 2000 team this last year, I want that. I want to be a part of that. Secondly, I'm here to serve. I'm here to serve players and help them reach whatever God-given potential they have. I don't need to be a head coach to do that. I can certainly do that from this seat. I am incredibly proud to be the coordinator here in Baltimore, because I think the defensive coordinator, to me, in Baltimore, that's like the main defensive coordinator in National Football League; you're 'The Dude,' and I feel that way about this job."
You've been an assistant; You've been a coordinator. This is the first time you've led your own program. Who will you lean on as you come up to OTAs and the Draft and [training] camp and everything? Your dad has done it at the college level. Are there any mentors that you can lean on as you go through some of these things for the first time? (Kirk McEwen)
(MINTER) "I think, first of all, I'll lean on the people in the building that have been here for a long time – [executive vice president and general manager] Eric DeCosta, [executive vice president] Ozzie Newsome, the guys that have a lot of institutional knowledge of this place, who certainly have that. I have been around both [former Ravens head coach] John [Harbaugh] and [Los Angeles Chargers head coach] Jim [Harbaugh] over the last eight or nine years. [Seattle Seahawks head coach] Mike Macdonald is a close friend who I'll bounce a lot of things off of over the next couple months. So, I feel like I have a lot of people in my corner that are willing to help and listen, but I've also just been preparing for this. So, this isn't like, 'Hey, I got the job, now I have to call people and figure out what I want to do.' I've been preparing for this moment, and I feel good about the plan that we have to build a great team here."
You were the offensive coordinator in Chicago, and this will be your first time as a primary play caller. What challenges does that present being on the play caller? (Ken Weinman)
(DOYLE) "Obviously, it's a very different job. My job in Chicago was to support [Bears head coach] Ben [Johnson] and support our offense and try to get our guys on the same page. I was a communicator. I was a collaborator. To try to build it, just like [head coach] Jesse [Minter] said, I was trying to build it when Ben wasn't in the room so that when he stepped in, things hit the ground running, the table was set, and we could save a lot of time and be efficient. And then, whenever he wasn't in the room, I was running that meeting, but at the end of the day, he was the final stamp on anything we were doing as an offense. Certainly, we all had ideas as a staff, but it all kind of came down to what he wanted to do. And so, this is a different role where now I'm the one stamping it and kind of leading the staff. There are similarities in the jobs, because there were parts of it then that you're in front of the room a lot, but now, being the last guy to see it, articulating the vision, being able to sell that to the players and then, ultimately, being able to call the plays on gameday was what attracted me to this opportunity."
To follow up on that, what kind of prep have you done to prepare as a play caller? Is there something that Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson did that you tracked? Is there any prep while you were the offensive coordinator where you're sort of like, "OK, if I called this, I might do that?" How does it prepare you? (Kyle Goon)
(DOYLE) "I have been preparing for a long time. Obviously, as soon as you kind of step into this job, you start to be a part of the process of the game-planning. And so more so than anything – like, yes, you are calling a play on gameday, but the prep during the week is where the work exists and the game-planning and being able to shoot holes in things and work with others. The one area where I have prepared to actually call it every game that I've been a part of in the NFL, I go out three hours early, and I'll walk the field and kind of basically simulate four drives. I've done that since I got in the league in 2019 as a quality control coach in New Orleans, because I knew that I was really young when I got hired there – I was 22. I knew that the first time I was going to call plays, probably, wasn't going to be in a smaller setting, it was probably going to be with the bright lights. I felt like I needed to prepare for that early. So, in that way, I've kind of been preparing just to be able to call it and kind of how your mind works, but really the work during the week is what counts, and that's been a part of really every job that I've had."
Congrats on your position. You've been here as a player and coach, and you were here last year. How much do you think the experience of being with some of these guys last year will help you make the transition this year in your position, because they know you and a lot of them? (Cliff Brown)
(LEVINE SR.) "Thank you. That's a great question. With me being here as a player and being here as a coach – and especially coming back here last year – being around these guys and talking to them all the time and getting to know them and connecting with them, [I'm] building a relationship with them. It is crazy that you asked that, because I got a call last night from a player who flew here – Keondre [Jackson], he's sitting in the back – to come here, so that speaks the volume of the type of players that we have and the type of connection that I have with these guys. They understand the standard; they understand the culture. [Former special teams coordinator] Chris [Horton] did a great job of always putting me in front of the room, so as soon as I got back [to the Ravens], Chris has always put me in front of the room. [With] my leadership style, the way I interact with them, the way I challenge them [and] the way we hold each other accountable. With that being said, these guys, they respect me. We don't talk a lot about how much I did when I played, because it's not about what I did when I played. It's more about them, and it's more about me being able to teach them to go out there and be productive and have a great career that they want to have."
Are you aware of the tradition here with special teams, going back to former Ravens special teams coach Scott O'Brien, former Ravens players Jermaine Lewis and Bennie Thompson, all those guys? (Mike Preston)
(LEVINE SR.) "When I first got here, I had a lot of great veterans, and I could probably run them off, but one that comes to mind, who I see every day, is [Ravens director of player engagement and former teammate] Jameel McClain. Jameel McClain did a great job of pulling me to the side and letting me know the standard. If there was something that he felt like I should have done better, I did that, but then, at the same time, my coaches [helped]. [Former Ravens special teams coordinator] Jerry Rosburg held me to a standard that I feel like he held no man [to], but he also loved me. He would call me up to his office all the time, and we wouldn't just talk about football. One thing about Jerry [is] he was coaching me, but he was also teaching me at the same time. The same thing with [former special teams coordinator] Chris Horton. I talk to Chris all the time, and he also helped prepare [me], but to answer the question – I know I'm kind of going [on a tangent], but also 'Juiceman,' [senior advisor to player engagement], O.J. [Brigance], O.J. emails me all the time. Before games, 'Juiceman' will text me. After games, 'Juiceman' will text me, and it was always back and forth with 'Juiceman' about who's the better special teams player – me or him. But I would give it to 'Juiceman' just out of respect for him. But the culture here, you come into this building. and [executive vice president] Ozzie Newsome, the first thing he's going to tell you is, 'I pay you to make plays on special teams, so I expect you to make plays on special teams.' And he told me that, so that right there told me off the muscle that I better start making plays on special teams, and we know that. We know special teams is not just, 'Go out there, and just play special teams.' Special teams, we are here to make sure that we impact the game in a positive way."
As you filled in the staff, beyond just these three guys, we saw all different kinds of backgrounds and levels of experience. Were you looking at it as kind of a total picture of, "Well, maybe this piece balances out this piece." How did you sort of look at the whole puzzle? (Childs Walker)
(MINTER) "Yes, you definitely look at, specifically, each side of the ball as a puzzle, making sure that [offensive coordinator] Declan [Doyle] has his experiences and where he's been. You want him to be surrounded by people that can help him do the job at the highest level, so there are a few [coaches] that maybe he's worked with prior. There are also a few [coaches] that I have history with, and then there are different levels of experience, and there are different levels of guys that have been play callers, passing game coordinators [and] all those different types of things that can really help support a younger, newer play caller that I felt like maybe I had as I was coming up as that type of position. Then on defense, I was really looking for teachers, connectors, fundamentalists and how they'll teach the guys how to play defense and what we expect [with] how to play defense like the Ravens need to play defense. It really was irrelevant of pro experience, college experience [or] years of experience. It was [about] being able to go through an interview process, connect with these guys, see what they would be like in front of the room, see what they would be like connecting with players [and] their technique backgrounds, so it all fits together as a puzzle, like you mentioned. Then on special teams, [it's] the same thing. We have a very experienced [group with senior special teams coach] Randy [Brown] and [senior assistant special teams coach] Ben [Kotwica] helping our special teams with [special teams coordinator] Anthony [Levine Sr.], so I think fitting all that together, you're trying to put that room in the best position to be successful by blending all the different experiences."
As you were going through the offensive coordinator search, was there anyone who put you on to offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, because it was a name that kind of jumped out of nowhere for the media. As you were going through the process with him, were there any recommendations that you got, or was there anyone that just kind of sold you on his ability to do this job? (Jonas Shaffer)
(MINTER) "Yes, I think as you go through this process, a year ago, [I] was being talked about as a head coach candidate, so then in the offseason, I spent more time studying different systems around the league and [thinking about] what you would maybe envision [for] what you would want your offensive system to be. So, I certainly have a ton of respect for [Bears head coach] Ben Johnson – obviously, the head coach in Chicago – and the system that he had in Detroit and now Chicago. The basis was really looking at systems. I heard a lot of great things about [offensive coordinator] Declan [Doyle] from a lot of people. It's hard to pinpoint one, but [from] everybody that had been around him, [he] was very, very highly-recommended by current head coaches in the league at various places [and by] other people that had to [hire] him the year prior, when he ended up going to Chicago, so [he was] very highly recommended. [He is] a guy that I think where age is just a number. This is his eighth year in the National Football League, and he's worked his way up, and so, I think he's really well prepared for this opportunity. Also, as I went through it, [he was] a guy that was with a first-year [head coaching] team last year – [working with] a new staff as the offensive coordinator – so going through that first-year installation, I thought that was a major benefit. As we got to know each other better, [I thought] that would help us here."
You brought up Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald and how close you guys are. Not to take your eyes off your own paper, but obviously Mike just won a Super Bowl, and this is the first time we've talked to you since then. Does anything about the Seahawks' success in the postseason or the turnaround that Mike had in Seattle inform how you think you might be able to rise to a similar level? Obviously, you have defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver here who was on the defensive staff when it was elite in 2023. Are there some pieces that you kind of look at in Seattle and say, "Hey, we can do some of that here"? (Kyle Goon)
(MINTER) "Yes, [Seahawks head coach] Mike [Macdonald] and I worked together here kind of came up. Knowing how he thinks about the game, how I think about the game, there are a lot of similarities. [I'm] happy for him, proud of him, and now [I'm] chasing him. Chasing the team that wins the Super Bowl, that's what we're doing. I'm stoked for the success that he's had. I certainly feel like, yes, there are some things that we could do that would hopefully mirror some of that and look like that. We know that the standards here in Baltimore are really high, and the expectations on the outside are really high. We want that, we embrace that, and so we're looking forward to going on our own journey here, trying to accomplish things together with this group of guys. But certainly, I think you can always learn from the teams that are doing well and taking things that they do well, taking ideas from other people, and so I've certainly looked at those guys closely and will try to do some things."
This scenario is unique for the Ravens. The last time the Ravens had a new head coach and three new coordinators, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle wasn't even born. It was with head coach Ted Marchibroda, and it was the inaugural year of the Ravens. As the leader, the culture setter, how do you balance so much change in an organization that's been built on foundational consistency? (Gerry Sandusky)
(MINTER) "There's a great piece of being here before and understanding the foundation, understanding a lot of the history [and] understanding what this place has been built on, while also having formulated some of my own different ideas over the last few years. There's a foundational way that the Ravens play that we need to play like, but I also think that there's a new age and a new way to do things, and that's the reason we're all sitting up here. Change can be embraced, change can energize people, and so we really look forward to it. I think it'll be up to everybody watching us to see what's different about it. Not necessarily us, but everybody [will be] watching to determine what maybe the differences are."
How were you able to get so much out of OLB Odafe Oweh once he came to you guys out there in Los Angeles, and could he be wearing a Ravens uniform once again? (Jerry Coleman)
(MINTER) "With 'Daf' [Odafe Oweh], we made a trade and picked him up. We, at the time, needed an edge rusher, and I know [Chargers general manager] Joe [Hortiz] and [executive vice president and general manager] Eric [DeCosta] obviously worked out the trade. I think we just created an environment for him where he played with a lot of confidence. We simplified some things that we were asking him to do. We allowed him, at times, to have a little more freedom as a pass rusher. I know he's earned the right to be a free agent now, and he had a really good statistical ending to his initial contract in the NFL. So, he's earned the right to be a free agent, so he'll have every opportunity to look at it all and do all that. And I know Eric and the guys will make great decisions of who we bring in here in free agency."
Over the past several years, the Ravens seemed to have been snake bitten in the fourth quarter, losing leads and losing games that they should have won. Is that a mindset? How do you turn that around? (Kirk McEwen)
(WEAVER) "I think it's just how you operate and do things every day, right? It is not one of those things where people always say, 'Oh, it's the fourth quarter, so you feel this pressure, and you're going to rise to the occasion.' I don't believe that. I think you just fall to the level of what your standards are. So as [head coach] Jesse [Minter] said here, when you're talking about standards and expectations, let's make sure we're fulfilling those and reaching those standards and expectations every single day. That's what is going to win in the fourth [quarter], right? It's not going to be like, 'Hey, let's turn it up a notch.' Well, what were you doing the first three quarters? Whatever that notch is, let's keep our foot on the gas every single play, and then the results will take care of themselves."
Over the past two years, there has been a lot of talk from the locker room or just the idea of getting the Ravens defense back to being "feared." I'm curious if that's been in your purview at all? And for you in this defense, what might that look like? (Sam Cohn)
(WEAVER) "It's funny, because you say that, and I instantly go back to this shirt from when I was a rookie. They used to say, 'It's better to be feared than loved,' and it had a Baltimore Ravens [logo] on it. I know it wasn't an officially-issued shirt, but I go straight to that. And ultimately, I just think it's about how we play. It is about us going out there and flying around to the ball, having 11 guys connected, that are in a flow state, that kind of know what each other are doing and we're just flying around looks like a pack of wolves. It looks like we have 13 guys out there. That's where we're chasing. [It's about] defeating blocks. If you get a chance to intimidate and hit somebody, let's do it. Let's make sure we do that. But the one thing I know is just, having been with so many of these guys [previously], they have that. It's ingrained in their DNA. Otherwise, they wouldn't be here. So, we're just trying to get back to that standard. I don't know what happened the last two years. I know when I turn on the tape, there's still a lot of things you get excited about. We just have to make sure we're more consistent in those actions to get back to where we want to be."
Do you think you should draft a defensive lineman? And Anthony, do you agree with that? (Mike Preston)
(MINTER) "We'll have to watch the draft and find out."
(WEAVER) "That's above my pay grade."
With QB Lamar Jackson, I think you said the other day that he has a higher ceiling. I'm curious, from what you've studied of him and what you've looked at so far, what specifically stands out as areas where you feel like he can really excel in a technical aspect? (Brian Wacker)
(DOYLE) "With Lamar [Jackson], obviously, the biggest thing with him that's a challenge to defend for a defense is that they have to defend two plays on every play. They have to defend the first play that we call that we have designed and game-planned and [are] trying to stretch the defense. And then they have to defend the second element, which is [Lamar Jackson] creating on his own, that 'second act,' which is the stuff that he has done since he was a kid. That first play can be more consistent, at times, with his eyes, with his footwork [and] within the system. That's kind of what I've noticed is that we've watched the tape, and that is stuff that – as soon as he gets in here – I'm really fired up to sit with him and start to talk through a lot of that stuff because you don't always get the full picture until you're really sitting with a player and talking [to them]. How are you being coached? Or what were you supposed to be looking at? And once you start to be able to have that dialogue, that's where progress exists. But I want to have a growth mindset with every one of our players [so] that when they come in here, they feel like they can get better. Our whole offensive staff – I'm sure they're doing it on defense as well – has looked at each of our guys; they've kind of made these points [and] these action plans as far as how we're going to improve this offseason. [They'll identify] three different areas that they're going to get better at, and he's no exception to that."
Obviously, QB Caleb Williams had a great season this past year, and in the fourth quarters of games, he made some magical plays. Can you kind of look at the idea of defending two plays that you were just talking about? What is your balance or the balance you've seen from your time in Chicago, especially when the game is on the line, of calling set plays or trusting an improvisational quarterback to make something happen? (Kyle Goon)
(DOYLE) "It's always going to start with a set play called. It's not ever just like, 'Hey, call a scramble.' That happens naturally. That happens within the game. And so, it's always going to start with whatever we feel like is going to put our players in the best position to go have success. That [goes] for our wideouts; that [goes] for our offensive line in making sure that that's shored up and the plays that we're running are sound. And then it's coaching the fundamentals and the details of – when that second play exists, when [Lamar Jackson] does evade [the pass rush], when he leaves the pocket and flushes – the responses of all of the receivers [and] the offensive line so that our spacing is correct in the passing game, and we are able to [execute]. And he's erasing; he's able to chase more explosive gains just with that second act. That was really what we found with Caleb [Williams] was the same thing. The quarterback is the eraser of game-planning errors or mistakes. If there's something where we expected a certain coverage, and we didn't get it, at times, the quarterback is going to put the cape on and go be Superman. And so, in a lot of ways, that's the similarity between their games is that Lamar [Jackson] does have the ability to go do that at times."
What was the process like of hiring your dad, Rick, to this staff? And what are you most looking forward to working with him on this season? (Valerie Preactor)
(MINTER) "It was probably the easiest hire out of the 20-plus. 'Hey, do you want a job with the Ravens?' 'Yes, that'd be great.' But I think when you have the person around that will always tell you the truth, that will not necessarily have an agenda and tell you what you want to hear and will tell you the truth. And knowing that nobody has my best interest more so than my own dad, obviously [excluding] my family and stuff like that. That's what I enjoy about it. Whether it's a defensive idea or just an overarching philosophy idea, just to have that person is special."
You mentioned that sprint to April 6, and then a month after that, you guys start OTAs. You talked about how a lot of this offense will be new. What are your expectations for attendance considering just how much is being built here from players considering it is voluntary? (Jonas Shaffer)
(DOYLE) "Yes, we would expect [the players] to be here and, certainly, it is voluntary. But, if you want to say that you're going to win a championship – [and if] you want to say that you have championship standards, and those are your goals and your expectations – certainly that's going to take work, that's going to take collaboration, and that's going to take the beginning of building the relationship with their coaches [and] other players starting off this next regime on the right foot. And so, that would be those guys getting in here, us being able to work with them hands on to be able to kind of get this thing going in the direction that we want to. And [it's about] making improvements so that we set ourselves up where – when we come back in for training camp – we hit the ground running, and we already have kind of a shared knowledge [and] shared language, and we're able to go right to work."
Anthony, you're in the unique position you have played for Jesse in the past. What do you remember from those experiences? Is there anything that stood out about him that maybe suggested that he could climb up a ladder and become a more prominent coach? (Luke Jones)
(LEVINE SR.) "I've been in the room with [head coach] Jesse [Minter]. He did a great job of connecting with us. He was great at that, and he also told us what we needed to hear and not what we wanted to hear. So, there are times where players want to go and seek comfort. You want to go and seek comfort, and Jesse always was there with us. He made sure that we did what we needed to do, but at the end of the day, it was the way that he was able to connect with us and build a relationship with us – that made him special. And we did everything we could to make sure that we could make plays. We'll come in, and we'll joke around, but when it was time to be serious, and it was time to get on us, and it was time to hold us accountable, he did that. But he did that, and that's what we love about him."
Who are some of the players you still have relationships with? (Kyle Goon)
(WEAVER) "A ton of guys. Mostly the [defensive] front guys. It was good to see Travis [Jones], and I talked [Nnamdi] Madubuike, 'T-Rob' [Tavius Robinson], all those guys. And a bunch of guys that aren't here anymore. Calais Campbell, 'Jelly' [Lional Dalton], a bunch of guys, man. [Also] Brandon Williams, a bunch of guys. Mostly front guys, but I had relationships with all guys up and down the defense. Particularly, once I became the assistant head coach, I tried to make sure I had touch points with all those guys to try to help them in whatever way I could. Maybe that was on the field [or] off the field, but [I'm] just trying to be a positive influence in their life."
