The Baltimore Ravens have experienced some turnover on the defensive side of the ball during the 2022 offseason, both with their players and their coaches. They moved on from defensive coordinator Don Martindale, and replaced him with former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald.
There will likely be similarities between Martindale and Macdonald’s defensive systems, as Macdonald spent many years in the Baltimore organization before moving to Ann Arbor for one season. When Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey was asked about his early impressions of Macdonald’s defense, the veteran shared his excitement for playing in Baltimore’s new system.
“I’m excited. I’m really excited for [defensive coordinator] Mike [Macdonald] – a coach I liked when he was here. I know he went to Michigan and did well there; they won their conference and everything. So, I really just like the flexibility that I’ve been seeing with what he’s been doing. The vision that I’ve seen … We want to have it to where any DB [defensive back] can play any position at any time. I think that’s kind of the vision I’ve seen behind it. I’m getting reps inside; I’m going to get some reps at safety; get some reps here; Chuck [Clark] comes down and plays corner. So, I think that flexibility is going to make us be able to do a lot of good things in the secondary. And then also the difference of just changing up looks. A lot of times, if you show this, you play this; if you show this, you play this. Sometimes we’ll show opposite; sometimes we’ll show this; sometimes we’ll show exactly what we’re doing. So, I think it will definitely keep the offense guessing a lot more than what we’ve been in the past. So, a couple different things that I’ve seen so far, but I’ve really liked kind of the flexibility of what Mike and ‘Harbs’ [head coach John Harbaugh] and what everybody – it’s kind of a joint effort – has brought to our defense.”
Humphrey seemed very pleased with the flexibility that the defensive system will allow, especially in terms of what he’ll be able to do in multiple roles. Macdonald’s system should be a breath of fresh air in multiple aspects, and Humphrey looks to be very excited about what the former Michigan defensive coordinator can do with his defense.