... what- what about your scheme or your system in general do you think best attacks what we're seeing from modern offenses right now?

Yeah, a couple things.

Um, I think number one, like it's about the players that you have.

And, you know, so the last couple years, uh, had a great group there with the Chargers.

Um, and you try to build around your, w- who you think can impact the game.

Uh, you know, so with Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Tulley, Dayon, I mean, so many great players, Tarheeb Still, just like you can go on and on about the- the guys that we had there.

Um, and- and then I think you look at just like numbers and metrics of what really impacts winning and, you know, uh, you know, 10 years ago like it was always about the turnover margin and I still think that that's super important and we wanna try to attack the ball.

What is that process like w- between you and your players and you and your assistants as well?

What about your scheme? I'm going to make you talk about yourself a little bit here now, but what about your scheme or your system in general? Do you think best attacks what we're seeing from modern offenses right now?

Yeah, a couple of things.

I think, number one, like it's about the players that you have.

And, you know, so the last couple of years had a great group there with the Chargers.

And you try to build around your who you think can impact the game.

You know, so with Derwin James, Khalil Mack, Thule, Dayon, I mean, so many great players.

Tarheap still just like you can go on and on about the guys that we had there.

What is that process like between you and your players and you and your assistants as well?

And yet you are a perfect example of, of how this all turned out.

Yeah.

Um, I would say this.

If, if I, if I could've, you know, maybe had a better gene pool from my parents, I think I would've been a defensive player.

Um, but it just worked out for me to play a [laughs] wide receiver position thanks to my mom and dad.

Um, but no, my dad, my dad's a longtime defensive coach and so even, honestly, probably even back into high school, like defense, just the, the football side of it, the scheme side of it sort of piqued my interest.

Um, so I kind of, I kind of thought all along that I would end up coaching on defense, um, even as I was playing.

How would you define dealing with pressure and expectations, um, in sport and then maybe even beyond that?

It doesn't happen as often as it used to.

You, you try to be the best at the position that you're in, so when you're an offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator, you try to Put the best out there to p- give yourself this opportunity.

I think when you get the opportunity, it's double down on what got you the opportunity.

So it's, if you were really good on defense, like, stay w- stay in that role, stay in that chair, impact the team and the game in that way.

Um, I don't really look at it as the offense versus defense.

I think leaders can be in, in anything.

It's my job to imprint the entire team, um, to have a play style that matches with kind of m- our, the vision that we're creating.

Can you describe a little bit of that vision that you're creating, a little bit of, of, of what you're seeing, what you're building towards, just for fans out there?

Yeah.

Um, you know what Ohio State is like, the expectations are high all the time.

You know, these guys feel that, you know, and, and sometimes it's a heavy weight.

So you like to see them having fun.

I mean, it's still, it's still a job and these are starting brothers and those.

So really you want them to have, you want them to have fun.

You know what I'm saying? Forget about the expectations.

With that said, though, uh, playing against them, I mean, you, I mean, how much fun are you having and, and seeing what your dreams are coming true this year?

What do you see is as the possibilities for this year's defense?

Yeah, you know, I don't think that there's any tricks or whatever.

I think over time you create a system that's very learnable, teachable, that you try to teach things, especially on defense from a conceptual standpoint.

And, you know, I like to think about defense as concepts and, like, not necessarily play calls.

And so when you understand what – you're supposed to do.

And then when you understand what everybody else is supposed to do, it allows you to maybe do your job at an even higher level.

You understand your leverage.

You know what I mean? How do you approach training camp with that mentality, with that knowing, hey, this team can do some special things this year, you know?

First up today on Ravens Press Pass podcast is head coach Jesse Minter.

First, I want to start off recognizing three special individuals, Eve Joyce, Matthew Joyce, Carolina Herrera Macias.

These great people were recipients of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, provides financial support to the children of U.S. Marines and Navy Corpsmen pursuing undergraduate degrees, career and technical education, and post-high school certificates.

So it's great to have these wonderful young people out at practice.

And with that, just a statement.

Finished up the mini-camp, finished up the off-season program.

Again, tons of love and respect.

Jesse-

How was that from your seat as the process not only played out in real time, but various versions of stories were then released after the fact? What was that like for you as a first-time head coach?

You know, it's just a, it's like anything.

You know, you wake up every day, you're ready to deal with what happens.

You look at everything through the lens of, how can we handle these situations? What's best for the organization? What's the best result? What's the best thing moving forward? And so I really felt like as an organization, you know, we had to, we had to make tough deals there.

There's information that comes in.

You make the decision- You make make the best of it.

You're ready, you're always ready to, to move and, uh, react, and, and h- and have answers, you know, when things don't go well.

What was that first day like when you stepped up in front of those 53 as a head coach, as a head coach, Jesse Minter? What was the message that you delivered to, to, to your players as the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens?

Can't wait to talk to him.

Bring 'em on.

What's the biggest difference between the hard balls?

YOU KNOW, FOR ME, LIKE, JOHN WAS MORE OF A DEFENSE SPECIAL TEAMS FOCUS FOR HIMSELF.

SO SPENT SOME TIME IN THE DEFENSIVE ROOM.

KIND OF WANTED THINGS, YOU KNOW, DONE MAYBE A CERTAIN WAY.

AND THEN SPECIAL TEAMS, MAJOR, MAJOR PART OF THE PROGRAM.

JIM, MORE OF AN OFFENSIVE BACKGROUND.

AND SO FOR ME, THAT WAS THE BIG DIFFERENCE WAS AS I GOT WITH JIM, IT WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, You can really have the opportunity to kind of be like the head coach of the defense because he's not going to be involved in the every day, day to day.

Do you have history with Declan Doyle? Like anywhere? Have you guys crossed paths before? Or is this more just over the years watching film, watching Detroit? Yeah,

And why, ultimately, do you think uh, uh, he decided that you were the right guy to be the steward of the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson and a loaded talent a- after an incredibly long run by John Harbaugh?

Yeah, I mean, number one, I think he's the best owner in sports.

Um-...

He, he creates an environment where you're always gonna be, you know, doing what's needed to be successful.

So, e- there's, there's not any amount of money he's not willing to spend.

Any type of thing you need that you think might help you be better, uh, he's providing.

So, um, and then through the interview process, I think there was a little bit of, you know, this guy understands the foundation that's been built here, but he's also now been out on his own and has some different ideas of how to, um, you know, bring, bring a few new things, while also understanding and respecting the history, how it's been built, why it's been built a certain way.

And I, I just, that- I don't know how old I was watching it, but I remember that and think, "Oh, that's how you use your athletes," and I assume you wanna do something like that.

[laughs]

Like you said, um, these jobs, these jobs with this caliber of quarterback don't often turn over, and so when it came open, uh, you know, the respect and love I have for Lamar and having been here before, having seen him come up as he was drafted here, what he did in his first few years, having had defended him last year, uh, in 2024 in Los Angeles, uh, just, man, grateful, excited, stoked to have the best player in the league as our quarterback.

And I think what that says is, your window is always open.

You got the best player in the world behind center.

Uh, you got a group of guys on offense that, that have elite talent and elite play-making skills, and, uh, I look forward to building an offense and building a team around Lamar Jackson.

Have you thought about, like, "Man, it's actually gonna be kind of weird not having or not being around either one of those guys?" And what do you think the biggest thing you'll take away from the Harbaugh coaching tree will be going forward?

Yeah, that's a great question.

Uh, certainly have so much love and respect for both of them.

They can go off script," what is the balance with Lamar to let Lamar be Lamar but play within a structure you're comfortable with?

Yeah.

I think that's a great point.

I think you want the structured plays To work really well and to be really, uh, an offense that he feels great about and that he feels like he's thriving in, and that you're making plays comfortable for him, stuff that he's really good at.

And then I think those unstructured plays, I mean, that's where, that's where he's the best in the world.

That's where he's, his instincts are able to take over.

He's able to make throws, runs, everything, every which way.

How do you s- how does Jesse Minter set the culture tomorrow?

They can go scripted, they can go off platform, they can go off script," what is the balance with Lamar to let Lamar be Lamar, but play within a structure you're comfortable with?

Yeah, I think that's a great point.

I think you want the structured plays to work really well, and to be really, uh, an offense that he feels great about and that he feels like he's thriving in, and that you're making plays comfortable for him, stuff that he's really good at.

And then I think those unstructured plays, I mean, that's where, that's where he's the best in the world.

That's where he's- his instincts are able to take over, he's able to make throws, runs, everything, every which way.

Uh, but I really think it's the structure plays that we need to, we need to really make sure are tight and really make sure they're things that he's, uh, familiar with and really good at and willing to grow with.

And I know he's super excited about where we're, where we're headed on offense, and I look forward to seeing him thrive on our offense.

How do you s- how does Jesse Minter set the culture tomorrow?