Anthony Weaver sets the tone with a promising Ravens defensive outlook
· Yahoo Sports
They haven't coached a single Baltimore Ravens game or practice. Heck, we haven't even reached free agency or the NFL Draft, but this new coaching staff's approval rating is soaring. They're a hit, and if things go according to plan, there's nowhere to go but up. Make no mistake. There's pressure on them, but they've allowed themselves opportunities to smile for now.
Head coach Jesse Minter and his coordinators spoke with the media on Wednesday. All seemed humbled by the chance to join the Ravens, or rejoin the organization. That's the story of Minter, Anthony Weaver, and Anthony Levine. No one expects anything other than their best effort.
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Why would they? All we've ever seen is their best. Minter was formerly an assistant under John Harbaugh (2017-20). Weaver played here (2002-05) as part of the defense. He coached here, serving in several roles: defensive line coach and run game coordinator (2021) and assistant head coach/defensive line coach (2022-23). He's now the defensive coordinator. Coach Levine was a solid special teams contributor who will now lead that unit as its coordinator.
They'll share responsibility for trying to lead the Ravens to the franchise's third Lombardi Trophy, but this week they shared the microphone as they were introduced to the Baltimore media.
Anthony Weaver turns heads with a confident statement.
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle joined Minter, Weaver, and Levine. The OC spoke about his age being an asset, his plans for the offense, and, of course, a growing relationship with Lamar Jackson.
One of the session's most surprising statements came from the top assistant on the other side of the ball. There's work to do with the Ravens' defense, especially at edge rusher. Weaver isn't panicking, though. With a smile, he offered an idea that many of you might find interesting.
"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."
There's mostly new staff. Dre'Mont Jones, Kyle Van Noy, Alohi Gilman, David Ojabo, and Chidobe Awuzie are all impending free agents. The jury is still out on Mike Green. There's a lot to discuss, but if Coach Weaver says, 'We're good,' then we're rolling with that.
For those of you who are concerned, may you gain more confidence by listening to him. Raise those glasses. Here's to another exciting era of Baltimore Ravens football.
Optimism in February doesn't win games in September, but alignment, vision, and buy-in are where every successful season starts. If Jesse Minter and his staff can translate that early energy into results, Baltimore may indeed be standing at the beginning of something worth raising a glass to celebrate.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Anthony Weaver sets the tone with a promising Ravens defensive outlook