The Ravens appear to be putting together a star-studded staff
under new head coach Jesse Minter. Here are the early grades from Baltimore Beatdown’s writers:I’ll play devil’s advocate here and give Minter a B. His staff-building approach has been interesting, to say the least, drawing largely from the college ranks and not, as expected, going after many current or former Ravens assistants. The one he did hire is defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, with whom he has never worked. In fact, few of
his new hires have worked together in the past. At offensive coordinator, Minter hired a 29-year-old who has never called plays before. That is a risk for a team that intends to compete for a Super Bowl right away. Individually, there’s a lot to like, but just as we say for roster management, this isn’t Madden. Simply picking the best names is not enough; they have to mesh, not just in terms of scheme and strategy, but personality and leadership style as well. – Nikhil Mehta
The Ravens have done a great job filling out their coaching roles thus far and deserve an ‘A’ grade. After hiring Jesse Minter to fill the top vacancy of head coach, they’ve added an impressive mix of youth, innovation, and experience to the rest of the staff. Declan Doyle and Anthony Weaver were two of the most sought-after coordinator candidates still available. Doyle is an up-and-coming offensive mind, while Weaver is an elite defensive line savant with great leadership abilities. The rest of the hires in different areas have been promising as well, such as offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford — who is regarded as one of the best in the NFL. For a first time head coach, Minter has assembled a strong group around himself. – Frank Platko
It’s hard to give Jesse Minter (and Eric DeCosta who’s surely also had a hand in this) anything short of an A. The reactions around the league, which have been heaping praise upon praise for the first-time head coach, tell it all. The first hires of Mike Mickens for the defensive backs and Dwayne Ledford for the offensive line where enough to put the league on notice. But grabbing a budding star in Declan Doyle to man the offensive was a bold move, pairing a man as young as the franchise quarterback to be the coordinator. The cherry on top of that was grabbing Sean Payton’s fall guy, Joe Lombardi, to give Doyle an older head to lean. Anthony Weaver for defensive coordinator was another stroke of genius, a defensive line guru to help with a unit that’s struggled since Weaver, and someone who knows the organization and that Minter can lean on to get his defense installed while Minter focuses on the whole team. – Zach Canter
On paper, it is hard to give Jesse Minter anything other than an A for the coaching staff he has put together up to this point. It’s impossible to say how someone like Declan Doyle will work out with no play calling experience, but taking a swing on a young, up-and-coming coach who has learned under two of the best offensive minds in the game (Ben Johnson and Sean Payton) is the type of risk I am more than happy to take. If all things were equal, I would have preferred an offensive coordinator with experience, but once Mike McDaniel and Joe Brady were both off the board, the remaining seasoned play callers were not very inspiring. Since Minter will be calling plays, hiring Anthony Weaver as defensive coordinator was a great move considering his leadership and relatability to the players. Weaver’s experience with the defensive line pairs well with Minter’s history of coaching defensive backs as well. Mike Mickens and Dwayne Ledford are perhaps my favorite hirings thus far. Mickens ability to develop defensive backs is well documented and Ledford is considered by many to be one of the better offensive line coaches in the league. The Ravens desperately needed a coach who can get the most out of both position groups. The thing I appreciate the most about Minter’s hiring process is that he has brought in guys he has never worked with previously, showing the willingness to reach outside of the box to find the best available options for the team rather than purely sticking with familiarity. – Dustin Cox
It’s hard to assess coordinator and position coach hires before the season is underway, but given the reactions leaguewide, it’s fair to say Jesse Minter has nailed his hires. Declan Doyle has learned from stellar offensive minds and is an intriguing high-risk, high-reward choice. Anthony Weaver is a familiar face beloved in the building who knows what it takes to operate at the level the team expects of itself. As far as position coaches go, I can’t pretend to know too much about them, but reactions from fans of the former teams and universities these coaches are joining from give plenty of reasons to be excited.– Mark Myers
