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Mike Preston: Ravens coach Jesse Minter deserves blame, too

Mike Preston, Baltimore Sun on

Published in Football

BALTIMORE — Maybe it’s time for Ravens coach Jesse Minter to let his hair down.

By that I mean let his personality take over this team, because so far Minter, 43, has been pretty boring, about as ho-hum as another episode of “Gilligan’s Island.”

On Monday, Minter said the Ravens were working on trying to find and establish team leaders. That’s great for young players, but not for veterans like quarterback Lamar Jackson, outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, defensive tackle/end Calais Campbell and cornerback Marlon Humphrey.

Without leadership, some of them wouldn’t even be on the roster. But here is a suggestion for Minter, the rookie head coach: The team’s lack of effort and enthusiasm reflects the man in charge, too.

“Listen, we have a great locker room. We’ve got a great bunch of guys that really, really care,” Minter said. “We have a ton of capable leaders on our team. One of the reasons I wanted this particular job was because of the guys in the locker room and the leadership capabilities that they have. And so, I think again, me, all of us, there’s things that we could have done better — as players, coaches, play callers, leaders [and] all those things.

“When stuff like that happens, the really good ones respond in the right way. That’s what I’ve seen, obviously, in the last couple days.”

It will take time to build chemistry and find the caliber of player Minter wants, but so far his personality has been as bland as a handkerchief.

The average age of an NFL head coach is 48.3 years, so many teams are going the young route. But when the Ravens play, there is no animation or emotional outburst like Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay’s.

Several years ago, Pittsburgh showed on its jumbotron coach Mike Tomlin shadow boxing coming down the tunnel as the Steelers were being introduced. That in itself described the moment. Former New England coach Bill Belichick, the greatest of all time, never met an expletive he didn’t like. Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles seems easygoing, but players fear him in the locker room.

Bowles has what has become known as “The Stare.”

I’m still waiting for Minter’s moment. On the field, he is an X’s-and-O’s kind of coach, but he showed no enthusiasm on the sideline in the second half of Cincinnati’s 35-13 rout Sunday. I was waiting for something like a Terrell Suggs slam or an Ed Reed interception, but nothing happened.

Crickets.

It’s like watching a Ravens practice. Minter interacts very little with the players, so you have to wonder whether he has a presence or if he’s disconnected. A coach needs to command the locker room, regardless of whether his team wins or loses.

 

Minter, however, does have a valid point about leadership. This team has none.

The Ravens have coddled Jackson for years, so he still has that mindset. Running back Derrick Henry is the consummate professional and is more talkative this year because he’s on track for his first-ballot Hall of Fame nomination. Stanley is past his prime, and right tackle Roger Rosengarten isn’t good enough to demand attention. Slot receiver Zay Flowers could become that type of player, but he is a leading member of the Jackson fan club.

It’s pretty much the same on defense. Both middle linebacker Roquan Smith and Campbell are past their primes. Hendrickson’s best days were in Cincinnati, and neither Humphrey nor fellow cornerback Nate Wiggins nor safety Malaki Starks are playing well enough to merit attention. Safety Kyle Hamilton is a nice guy, but probably too nice, and gets beat up physically every week because he is out of position, doubling as an outside linebacker.

Right now, these Ravens aren’t even close to the title teams in 2000 and 2012. In 2000, the defensive line of tackles Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams and ends Rob Burnett and Michael McCrary ran this team. Nothing went in or out of the locker room without a comment, or, in some cases, a warning, from this group.

In 2012, this was middle linebacker Ray Lewis’ team with fellow Hall of Famer Reed as his sidekick. Remember when Lewis would pray or put his hands on a player, like kickoff returner Jacoby Jones? Of course, those Ravens had a better supporting cast, including linebackers Peter Boulware and Jamie Sharper and safety Rod Woodson in 2000 and Suggs and Reed in 2012.

The current Ravens don’t have that type of grit. Back then, general manager Ozzie Newsome cared more about a player’s character than his play on the field. Times have changed, and so have the players, especially with NIL money and the transfer portal ruling college football.

But it all goes back to Minter. In the Cincinnati game, the Bengals scored five straight second-half touchdowns. Quarterback Joe Burrow completed only 6 of 12 passes for 43 yards in the first half, but finished 22 of 30 for 292 yards and a near-perfect passer rating of 143.4.

In the second half, the Ravens should have zeroed in on Burrow with a couple of hits, which might have disrupted his rhythm. Also, if Humphrey and Wiggins weren’t up to par, the Ravens should have benched them.

The Ravens needed to make a change.

It’s interesting that Minter still calls the Ravens’ defensive signals, and that hasn’t worked out well, either. It’s all about making the right adjustments, either on the field or in the starting lineup. The Ravens have some potential stars in the lineup, including rookie receiver Ja’Kobi Lane, whose magnetic personality makes him a fan favorite, and guard Vega Ioane, who is as close to a bodyguard as former Ravens standout Haloti Ngata, who would cobber anyone who cheap-shotted Lewis.

But it all starts with the head coach, and the Ravens have lost two straight.

It’s Minter’s time to shine, or at least loosen up a little.


©2026 Baltimore Sun. Visit baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

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