RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Lamar Jackson moved slightly to his right and prepared to throw a screen, but the rush had gotten there too quickly. So instead, the two-time MVP hit a jumping pump fake, pirouetted out of trouble, raced to the sideline and scooted upfield.
Might he have been sacked if this were an actual game and not the first day of training camp, when players aren't even in pads? Would outside linebacker Mike Green have tracked him down even if he escaped?
Maybe. But this is training camp; the sky is the limit, and big dreams are encouraged. So Jackson's Houdini act -- the type of play that has made him so special but also the one that was so rare during an injury-plagued 2025 -- serves as a sign to come.
"I feel like he might have gotten faster somehow," safety Kyle Hamilton said. "I feel like he ran today really fast. I do not know if you guys saw that, but maybe that is just how he always runs."
So much of the Ravens looks and feels the same. There are the superstars such as Jackson, Hamilton and running back Derrick Henry . There are tons of Pro Bowl-caliber talent in wide receiver Zay Flowers , linebacker Roquan Smith , offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley , tight end Mark Andrews and cornerback Marlon Humphrey .
Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike , a Pro Bowler each of his last two healthy seasons, came off the PUP list as he works his way back from a neck injury that was at one point considered career-threatening. Edge defender Trey Hendrickson , the NFL's 2024 sack leader, comes in from division foe Cincinnati.
There are questions -- notably center, pass-catching depth, and pass rusher opposite Hendrickson -- but this roster stacks up favorably to anyone's, something that Baltimore has said for years.
But so much is different. After 18 years, John Harbaugh is gone. Jesse Minter is now in charge. That means little things, like the time (earlier in the day), location (the farthest of the three practice fields) and the length (a breezy hour and a half) of practice are different.
It also means big things, like the coordinators -- Declan Doyle on offense and Anthony Weaver on defense, though Minter will call the plays -- are different. And then there's the biggest thing: With no Super Bowl appearances under Jackson, the Ravens are hoping the end result will be different, too.
"Absolutely, it does," Jackson said about the level of urgency rising. "Each and every year I am getting older and not younger, so of course it increases -- but it starts now. ... It starts now in training camp."
In that sense, Minter and the Ravens enter an unusual, high-stakes season: a first-time head coach leading a Super Bowl-caliber roster. Only two coaches ever -- Don McCafferty (1970 Colts ) and George Seifert (1989 49ers ) -- have won the Super Bowl in their first year as an NFL head coach.
"It's a day-by-day process," Minter said. "We're not going to win because we're the Ravens. We're not going to win because we have X, Y, Z players. We're not going to win because I'm the coach. We're going to create our success based on the standards that we create, the process that we go through every day."
For his part, Minter, 43, has done outstanding work for the past decade at the highest levels of the sport. He worked his way up to defensive backs coach for the Ravens in 2020, and Baltimore was terrific defensively. After a year at Vanderbilt, he coordinated arguably the best defense in college football -- Michigan -- for two years. That was more than good enough for Jim Harbaugh, who brought him along to the Chargers .
Minter quickly transformed the Chargers' defense. Los Angeles was sixth in defensive EPA per play last year. Baltimore was 15th. Minter's defenses are structurally sound, keeping things in front of them. The Chargers allowed just 37 completions of 20+ yards last year, tied for second-fewest in the NFL. The Ravens allowed 64, the most in the league.
"I think his track record speaks for itself," Smith said during minicamp in June. "... I just think there's a method behind the madness, and there is clear, clean communication on what's expected in each and every thing. That always allows each and every player to play to the best of their abilities and play fast as well."
Being a great defensive mind is one thing. Being a great head coach is another. Plenty of excellent coordinators have struggled after earning the top gig. The responsibilities increase exponentially, not just on the logistics, such as how to structure a practice, and the personal side of things, such as how to lead a locker room, but also the in-game decisions, such as time management and fourth-down aggression.
"That's something that we've had a major focus on between the end of the offseason program and now," Minter said. "Then you get situations, you get a chance to practice them all, but it's really hard to create the sense of urgency and the realness of that happening."
Minter is also hoping he's made the right call regarding the man leading Jackson and the offense. Declan Doyle is all of 30 years old and, like Minter, is in his first year in his biggest role yet. He was a sophomore student assistant at Iowa a decade ago. He was the Bears ' offensive coordinator a year ago, though he wasn't calling plays, as he will do this year.
For now, the returns are encouraging. Jackson called Doyle "a wizard" and the way Doyle calls plays "mind-blowing."
"You gotta be on your 'A' game at all times, and I love that," Jackson said on "The Lounge" podcast. "It's challenging in a good way -- different terminology, different movements with the offense. It's just great all around."
Jackson's long list of adjustments starts with being under center more. He ranked 20th in under-center rate last year. Chicago's Caleb Williams ranked fifth.
Jackson looked comfortable on Day 1, moving smoothly, stepping up in the pocket and delivering several nice downfield passes, mostly to Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman . One lofted ball ...
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