The Baltimore Ravens entered this season with plenty of buzz around a new coaching staff, but 4-5 and a four-game losing streak have made the early returns look a lot rougher than expected.
There’s no clean way to pin all of that on the coaches. Lamar Jackson’s injury has mattered, and the roster hasn’t exactly been handed ideal conditions.
But Jesse Minter and Declan Doyle have also spent this season showing exactly why first-year head coaches and first-time play-callers usually need time to settle in. The talent and the ideas are there.
The polish? Not yet.
Minter came in with a reputation as a defensive mind, and the expectation was that Baltimore would turn into a nasty unit. There have been flashes, and the pass rush has been better than it was last season.
But the overall product has been disappointing. The secondary keeps coughing up explosive plays, and the Ravens have had a hard time finishing games.
The number that jumps out most is ugly: 84 points allowed in the last four second halves.
That late-game slide has been especially frustrating because it looks familiar. Marlon Humphery and Malaki Starks have been horrific in the secondary, but Minter’s approach has also played a role.
His soft zone looks have left openings for opponents to attack, and that style hasn’t fit what this roster does best. It has also made it tougher for Baltimore to create turnovers.
On Thursday, that showed up again when Minter’s scheme flaws helped lead to an easy Parker Washington touchdown after he unwisely lined up Starks with him.
Game management has been another rough spot for Minter. Fourth-down decisions, clock management and challenge usage have all been issues. None of it rises to the level of a firing offense, but it does reinforce the bigger point: even with the injuries, Minter didn’t look ready to steer this team toward a Super Bowl run this year.
Doyle’s season has followed a similar arc, though with a different flavor. Early on, his creativity made him look like a rising star and a likely head coaching candidate.
The offense had juice, and the scheme felt inventive. Since Jackson went down, though, the whole thing has gone stale.
That doesn’t mean Doyle has been handed an easy job. The offensive line has been poor, and Jackson’s injury changed everything.
Still, the play-calling hasn’t been sharp enough to escape criticism. The creativity that stood out in September has turned predictable in recent weeks.
On Thursday night, he leaned on the wildcat over and over, and the Jaguars adjusted quickly. He also made some strange choices, including a heavy passing approach after both Jackson and Tyler Huntley were injured in the Buffalo Bills game.
Short-yardage situations have been a season-long problem too. Doyle’s ceiling still looks sky-high, but he needs more time in the role before that upside can really show itself.
The Ravens are going to have to reshape the roster this offseason if they want to get back into contender mode. Even so, another year of experience for this coaching staff could make a real difference.
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