Ravens Veterans Notice Major Difference Between Jesse Minter and Previous Staff

It’s something to be said for the attention to detail within a high-pressure environment or lack thereof.

The Baltimore Ravens were in multiple situations where one could say that they lost their focus. Baltimore blew leads under former head coach John Harbaugh, had issues getting to the line on-time on offense, issues on the defensive side of the ball with the pass rush and other problems that weren’t typical of high-level Ravens teams. Harbaugh was fired in January and replaced by former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter

Minter has heard praises from a few veterans throughout training camp. Their biggest point of emphasis is his attention to detail – being able to plan, teach and re-teach to raise each player to the standard that he seeks from his players. Those same players have enjoyed the rest of the coaching staff’s detailed approach as well.

One player that has had inconsistent play in the past couple seasons is wide receiver Rashod Bateman. The 2021 first round receiver has seen his play ebb and flow over the years – going from a career-high 46 touches in 2021 in 12 games, 15 touches in six games the following season, 33 touches in 2023 in 16 games, 45 touches in 17 games in 2024 and only 19 touches in 13 games last year.

There were times when Bateman flashed his potential, but couldn’t find a consistent role in both Greg Roman and Todd Monken’s offenses. In addition to Minter as his head coach, Baltimore brought in Sean Peyton and Ben Johnson disciple Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator. Former National Football League receiver Keary Colbert is Bateman’s new position coach.

"I would just say [we're] a very detail-oriented team,” Bateman said. “From head coach [Jesse Minter] to [offensive coordinator Declan Doyle] to [wide] receivers coach [Keary Colbert], everybody really harps on the details and the small things, and that's just not what we were in our past. I think, right now, we're learning how to play fast, smart football. [We're] trusting the training, trusting the call [and] trusting our teammates. So, I think that's the difference right now, honestly. [We're] just building that team chemistry."

Left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been with the team for 10 seasons and has seen a litany of changes on the offensive line. John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler left Baltimore after 2023 and the Ravens had Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele take over at the two guard positions. Tyler Linderbaum was Baltimore’s center and signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Vorhees and Faalele experiments were less than stellar.

Stanley also suffered the loss of his offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, who died from an illness, on Aug. 25 2024 – someone who served in that role since 2017. George Warhop took over from that point.

He’s also seen the addition of Vega Ioane at right guard, Simpson returning to his left guard position and is in the process of watching a battle for the center position. His offensive line coach, Dwayne Ledford, has worked to fix Stanley’s hand placement. All of the small things have led to Stanley welcoming these alterations.

"I think [head coach Jesse Minter] just values details and the finer details a little bit more,” Stanley said on Thursday. “I think that is something that is very much harped on, and he is also a very positive overall guy. He realizes we are chasing perfection, but that is something that is going to come with a lot of bad plays [and] bad days and he is aware of that. He is always trying to keep a positive outlook on what we are trying to build, while, at the same time, keeping a high standard."

Marlon Humphrey was critical of his play last season. He’s a player that has a standard of being a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first team All-Pro selection in his nine-year career. The 30-year-old allowed the most passing yards of any cornerback in the NFL (909) last season and he’s looking to correct that with Minter now taking over as the defensive playcaller.

Baltimore has battled back and forth with the Minnesota Vikings receiving corps in Wednesday and Thursday’s joint practices. Sharpening their skills against Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailor has presented a number of challenges, but it also presents a standard that they will continue to hold themselves to that they’ve otherwise been missing.

“I think the good thing is when we came in the spring, the coaches kind of set the standard of what it is going to be and I think a lot of guys have just really bought in,” Humphrey said.
All the guys have really just bought in, and I think if we continue to buy in like that and we just work together the way we are working right now, I think that [is the] standard that we have kind of been chasing and that we have just really let go. I have spoken to that in the past. I think it can definitely be back, and we can be rolling."

So, what are the biggest differences between the two coaching staffs?

Harbaugh’s Lack of Attention To Detail

The Ravens found themselves in situations where they had a lead in the second half – then would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. This happened 18 times during Harbaugh’s tenure as head coach for the Ravens. Eight of the 18 collapses came over the past 10 seasons.

Lack of attention to detail can get teams in trouble and it was quite evident with the Ravens, even with penalties. Baltimore has amassed 1,063 penalties in the last 10 seasons, ranking 12th in the NFL during that time. Only the Seattle Seahawks (1,103 penalties, fifth in NFL) and the Kansas City Chiefs (1,089 penalties, eighth) have tallied more and gone on to win Super Bowls. Additionally, Baltimore is ranked 10th in penalty yardage (8,980 yards) over that same period.

Harbaugh additionally was cited as a special teams guru and consistently boasted high-level trios in the punting, kicking and long snapping games with Sam Koch, Justin Tucker and Morgan Cox. The trio accounted for nine Pro Bowls, six first team All-Pro selections and won a Super Bowl together. Tucker was released following a number of sexual misconduct accusations prior to last season, Koch retired after the 2021 season and Cox signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 – having since signed five consecutive one-year deals with the team.

Since the three have left, long snapper Nick Moore (second team All-Pro) is the only player to have earned any postseason accolades.

Harbaugh’s Stubborness

A lot of great coaches are known for their ability to adapt and change. Harbaugh did that in 2019 when he decided to swap out Marty Mornhinweg for Greg Roman to better fit an offense to Lamar Jackson’s skill set, which resulted in Jackson winning the Most Valuable Player award. Baltimore became more aggressive and attempted more fourth down plays, resulting in a 59.7% conversion rate – the second highest in the league since 2019. Roman was fired after 2022 and Harbaugh hired Todd Monken, resulting in another MVP for Jackson.

However, there were plenty of times where Harbaugh’s loyalty to a player or coach has gotten the team in trouble. Baltimore held onto defensive coordinator Zachary Orr, even with the team having the 20th ranked scoring defense (22.3 points per game) since his hiring in 2024.

Faalele and Vorhees were glued to their starting positions despite being among the lower-ranked guards in the NFL. Vorhees allowed three sacks, held a 54.6 Pro Football Focus grade (60th out of 81 guards) in 969 snaps. Faalele was ranked 55th out of 81 guards with a 56.7 grade in 1011 snaps. Faalele was even signed by the New York Giants to join Harbaugh during the offseason, but was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Which leads to one last point of emphasis…

Harbaugh’s Over-Reliance On Lamar Jackson

His job was saved by Jackson in 2018 – we all know the story following Joe Flacco’s injury and subsequent benching. Baltimore went to the playoffs and won the division in a year where they looked a mess throughout the season on offense. Jackson won his two MVPs, but had a revolving door on the offensive line over the years.

He’s additionally kept coordinators that haven’t allowed Jackson to do what he does best – work under center, something that NFL columnist Doug Farrar has stated. The Ravens spammed a variety of pistol and shotgun formations since Jackson took over in 2018. What it hasn’t allowed him to do is hide the ball and work off of bootleg plays in the play action game.

All of these things are emblematic of the lack of attention to detail that Harbaugh has shown over the years. Minter’s hiring could be the breath of fresh air that the team needed.

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