How Ravens coaching staff is ushering in ‘a new age’

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — During the introductory news conference for his coordinators, new Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter received a history lesson.

A reporter pointed out how this is the first time since the Ravens’ inaugural season 30 years ago that the team has made a change at head coach and all three coordinator positions in the same offseason. The previous two times Baltimore fired its head coach, the team kept its defensive coordinator (Marvin Lewis in 1999 and Rex Ryan in 2008) for continuity.

But, for Minter, the overhaul of the coaching staff doesn’t necessarily mean a complete change in philosophy. It’s more of a rebranding for the Ravens.

Minter brought up how some in his coaching staff are rooted with the Ravens. His first NFL coaching job came in Baltimore, and two of his coordinators — Anthony Weaver (defense) and Anthony Levine (special teams) — played for the Ravens.

“There’s a great piece of being here before and understanding the foundation, understanding a lot of the history [and] understanding what this place has been built on, while also having formulated some of my own, different ideas over the last few years,” said Minter, who was a defensive assistant in Baltimore from 2017 to 2020. “There’s a foundational way that the Ravens play that we need to play like, but I also think that there’s a new age and a new way to do things, and that’s the reason we’re all sitting up here. Change can be embraced, change can energize people, and so we really look forward to it.”

Minter added, “I think it’ll be up to everybody watching us to see what’s different about it. Not necessarily us, but everybody [will be] watching to determine what maybe the differences are.”

The “new age” will be ushered in by one of the youngest coaching staffs in team history. For the first time, neither the Ravens head coach nor any of his coordinators is over 45.

Minter, a first-year head coach, replaces John Harbaugh, who had been the NFL’s second-longest tenured coach after 18 seasons. New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is a first-time playcaller, and Levine is entering his first season as a special teams coordinator. Weaver is now a defensive coordinator for his third team, but Minter will call the plays on defense.

“These three guys will help us create the vision of what we want the team to be like, and how we want to play,” Minter said. “We want to be a physically dominant team that really plays together, plays well-connected and plays football the right way.”

Here is a look at the Ravens’ new coordinators:

Declan Doyle, 29

The 11th offensive coordinator in Ravens history, he is the first who has never had any previous playcalling experience. He comes to Baltimore after spending one season as the offensive coordinator in Chicago, where head coach Ben Johnson called the plays for the Bears.

To prepare himself for this role, Doyle had a routine where he would walk the field three hours before the game and simulate four drives in his mind. He has done this since he was a quality control coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2019.

“I knew that the first time I was going to call plays probably wasn’t going to be in a smaller setting, it was probably going to be with the bright lights,” Doyle said. “I felt like I needed to prepare for that early. So, in that way, I’ve kind of been preparing just to be able to call it and kind of how your mind works, but really the work during the week is what counts, and that’s been a part of really every job that I’ve had.”

Anthony Weaver, 45

Weaver returns for this third stint with the Ravens after being a starting defensive lineman in Baltimore from 2002 to 2005 and serving as defensive line coach as well as assistant head coach from 2021 to 2023.

There was a chance that Weaver would come back in an even bigger role. During this offseason, Weaver interviewed for five head coach openings and became a finalist for the one with the Ravens before they hired Minter.

Weaver made it clear that he doesn’t consider the Ravens defensive coordinator job a consolation prize.

“I’d be lying to you to sit here and say that I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t get a head job,” Weaver said. “But ultimately, I just came back to, ‘Why am I doing this to begin with?’ Selfishly, I’m in it to try to win a Super Bowl, to be part of a group that’s forever. So, just like you had the 25th anniversary of that 2000 team this last year, I want that. I want to be a part of that.”

Weaver added, “I am incredibly proud to be the coordinator here in Baltimore, because I think the defensive coordinator, to me, in Baltimore, that’s like the main defensive coordinator in the National Football League. You’re ‘The Dude,’ and I feel that way about this job.”

Anthony Levine, 38

Levine garnered the nickname Co-Cap because he shared special teams captain duties with Albert McClellan for about five seasons. But Levine ultimately set himself apart when it came to the lasting impact on Baltimore’s coverage and return teams.

Over a decade (2012 to 2021), Levine played 3,120 snaps on special teams. He retired in 2021 as the franchise’s all-time leader in special teams tackles. Minter said he pictures Levine as the face of Baltimore’s special teams.

“Playing like a Raven means something,” Levine said. “And that’s what we do here. It’s a culture here. We’re here to win games, and we are here to win championships. That’s what we strive to do, and that’s what we’re going to do.”