Offensive Mastermind Sean McVay Believes Jesse Minter Will Fix Ravens Defense ASAP

There is an expectation around the league that Ravens rookie head coach Jesse Minter is going to make a significant immediate impact with a defense that was broken the last two years.

The unit probably won’t lead the NFL in sacks, takeaways and points allowed like the 2023 Baltimore defense did under Mike Macdonald, one of Minter’s closest confidants and coaching resources. But it must be exceedingly closer to that standard than what transpired the last two years with Zach Orr running the show. Minter has a proven resume winning a national title at Michigan and two years as an elite coordinator with the Chargers. And you can count Rams future Hall of Fame coach Sean McVay among those who believe Minter is one of the very best defensive minds in the game who will turn around Baltimore quickly.

McVay’s historic offense collides with Macdonald at least twice a year in the NFC West – three times last year including the playoffs – and he’s one of very few whose offense has held up. McVay has never faced Minter but got to know him some as they shared a home stadium in Los Angeles, and he’s put up 400 yards or more in four of six career meetings with Macdonald (including lighting up that 2023 team in Baltimore).

He understands what’s coming back to Baltimore as well as anyone on the planet, and as he explained on “The Daily Flock Show,” this is no ordinary scheme with no ordinary play caller.

“Just a lot of respect for the history of that system and watching how its evolved,” McVay told me. “When you talk about Mike and Jesse, it’s very similar careers. They got a chance to learn in a great organization (Baltimore) and got chance to learn at Michigan and then come back and get chance to be coordinators …

“These guys are at the forefront of a lot of the cool things that are going on. And everybody wants to get into the scheme, but there’s a style of play that their defenses play with – it’s tough, it’s physical, all 11 tackle, it’s sound …

“They pick and choose their spots to attack (blitzing) and there’s a clear cut philosophy that is a pain in the you know what to go against. And I never went against Jesse when he was with the Chargers other than in practice when they whipped us pretty good. But spent a little bit of time talking with him and I’ve got nothing but respect.”

Minter, like Macdonald, is going to mix and match and toggle between zone coverage and play a lot of Big Nickel – using three safeties on the field at once but not all of them actually performing safety duties. It’s predicated on stopping the run with light boxes to open up all of those coverage possibilities and it seemed to play at least a fleeting role last season in McVay going from being almost exclusively in 11 personnel in LA (three receivers and one tight end) to using more 13 (three tight ends) than anyone in the NFL last season.

Ultimate Chess Piece Is A Joker

Part of why these defenses can get away with that stems from the use of a “Joker” safety who can actually win at all three levels of the defense against the run or pass given his unique body-type and skillet. For the Ravens, that’s All Pro Kyle Hamilton, who will be spending even more time around the line of scrimmage and blitzing more than ever before.

Minter’s work with Chargers “Joker” Derwin is a perfect template and guide.

“I think there a prototype,” McVay noted, “you look at the way Jesse got Derwin James game to come to life. You look at some of things Kyle’s done with them in Baltimore.”

Minter is basically running Macdonald’s defense, with a few tweaks suited to his personnel. And Hamilton was on a Defensive Player of The Year path when under Macdonald here.

“They can do everything,” Payton said of the top Jokers. “You’ve got the multiplicity of being able to impact lot of different things - front structure, coverage contours. These guys are Jokers …

“They can set the edge against the run. They’re great blitzers. They can play man to man coverage. They can play on the second level of the defense (as a linebacker). They can play in the deep half or in the post with great range and breaks. These guys are ballers. It’s why they’re at the upper echelon of the league. It’s why there is very few of them who can do it.”

The Ravens defense should be among the best in football again. You can tell that McVay expects as much, as he explains in more detail on “The Daily Flock Show.”

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