Month: September 2023

The Baltimore Ravens have long-valued special teams as a major part of their philosophy to win football games. They’ve had massive success investing in players that can help them on that side of the ball, leading to wins coming from special teams contributions.

So far over the course of the 2023 season, there have been plenty of ups and downs for Baltimore. Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton said that he wants to see more consistency from his unit, saying that he wants his players to keep chasing the little details, even if they’ve been “pretty good” so far.

“Some of the little things [include] just making sure everyone is doing their job [and] being where we’re supposed to be in coverage. We do all … We have responsibilities, and we haven’t really, truly fanned the field like we need to, so we spent a little bit more time just making sure that we all understand that. It’s easy to kind of sit in the meeting room and coach it and do all those things, but it’s another thing to go out into a game and actually get those things done. We’ve been pretty good at it. So, we just have to keep chasing those little details, and we have the guys in the room to get it done.”

The Baltimore Ravens suffered a tough 22-19 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3 of the 2022 season. The defeat dropped their record to 2-1, and it felt like a major missed opportunity that could have gone Baltimore’s way if they were less sloppy overall.

The Ravens had a fumble on four consecutive drives, which was a main reason why they weren’t able to secure a win. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken discussed the team’s lack of ball security, and said that it doesn’t matter if it’s quarterback Lamar Jackson or someone else, they can’t put the ball on the ground.

“Sure. It’s always a … It doesn’t matter whether it’s Lamar [Jackson] or any quarterback, in terms of their ball security in the pocket [or] outside the pocket, and you know it’s coming the more it ends up on the ground. There’s no question [that] they’re showing that to their defensive players. So, it’s a point of emphasis, this week, of all of our players. We can’t turn the ball over. [We] can’t put it on the ground. [It] puts us all at risk.”

The Baltimore Ravens added plenty of wide receiver talent to their offense over the course of the 2023 offseason. They signed Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor, while also drafting Zay Flowers to add to a group that already included Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay.

Baltimore has dealt with a few injuries at the position so far over the course of 2023, but they are much more prepared to sustain absences with the depth that they’ve built. Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken was asked about how the team will navigate the team’s ailments at wide receiver, and praised the healthy depth that is currently on the roster.

“First off, that’s why Nelson Agholor is here as a player. Devin Duvernay has made plenty of plays here in the past, and Zay [Flowers] is a fantastic rookie and only going to get better. Mark Andrews, I think for the first time in three or four weeks, is feeling better. I think he’s moving better. Really, this is the first week I’ve seen – in probably four or five – that I feel like he’s at full speed. So, that’s a positive. That’s a plus going into this week. And every week that we’re together, I really believe we’re going to continue to do it better. And we’ll see.”

The Baltimore Ravens were known as an aggressive blitzing defense under former defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. However, when Martindale and the Ravens parted ways, they replaced him with former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who has dialed down the aggressiveness and implemented his new style of defense.

Macdonald didn’t blitz a lot in his first year as the team’s defensive coordinator, but that has changed over the course of the 2023 season so far. When asked about why he’s been more in favor of blitzing this season, Macdonald talked about how they want to have the ability to do so at any given point.

“Well, it’s something that we want the ability to do at any given point. So, to have the threat of blitz on either side or up the middle or double edge or whatever, you always want that threat to an offense. So, that’s just part of our identity. You might not have seen it last year for several reasons – probably what we felt like our team strengths were and how good we were at the different pressure packages that we were able to get to. So, it’s still a gameplan idea, but it’s something that we’re definitely going to carry and have the ability to get to at any point in time.”

The Baltimore Ravens selected safety Kyle Hamilton with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft. While his professional career got off to a rocky start over his first few NFL games, he ended his rookie season strong and has carried that momentum over to the start of 2023.

Hamilton has shown the ability to be versatile and play multiple roles so far in Baltimore, playing a multitude of different roles so far. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was asked if Hamilton will continue to play in the nickel and then move back once injured players return, and went into detail on what Hamilton can bring to the table.

“Yes. I’d say that’s a fair assessment. Again, we’ve talked [about] his [Kyle Hamilton’s] versatility forever now it seems like, but it definitely allows you to have that flexibility on a week-to-week basis. On how much, I don’t think the plan was to put him there the whole time. And you see how the games go. And then [with] where we’re at personnel wise, as well, will be driving those decisions from a week-to week and then throughout-a-game basis.”