Pundit Says Jesse Minter Showed Boldness and Wisdom in Coordinator Hires
With the Ravens' new coaching staff set, The Baltimore Banner’s Childs Walker looked at what we've learned about how the coaches will try to create change and get the team back on track.
One of Walker's biggest takeaways was that Head Coach Jesse Minter made shrewd hires in choosing 29-year-old Declan Doyle for offensive coordinator and Anthony Weaver for defensive coordinator.
"We don't know what a Declan Doyle offense will be. No one does, though we can guess based on his work translating Ben Johnson's plans into action for the Chicago Bears," Walker wrote. "What we know is Minter trusted his own judgment enough to choose a relatively unproven coach with whom he was not previously connected. He's operating boldly, just what you want to see from a new leader stepping in for an 18-year institution."
Walker said Minter bringing back Weaver, a former Ravens player and coach, "shows real wisdom."
"As the Ravens aim for a return to defensive excellence, their schemes and teaching methods will flow from Minter," Walker wrote. "He'll have the final say on game day, an exciting prospect given what we saw from him in Los Angeles. But, with his new breadth of responsibility, he'll need an outstanding communicator to help implement his vision during training camp and weekly practices.
"When asked what he'd want from his coordinators, he said: 'I'm looking for leaders and connectors and relationship builders and schematic expertise, but, most importantly, guys that the players believe in. [Coaches] that are willing to dive deep and build really strong relationships with the players.' He might as well have said, 'I'm looking for Anthony Weaver.'"
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr said he expects there to be a lot of positive buzz about the Ravens and their new coaching staff coming out of the NFL Combine, which kicks off this week.
"There is always one new coaching staff that rips through Indianapolis with a bold new strategy and exciting new ideas," Orr wrote. "My guess is that Baltimore will wind up being the it girl of the offseason."