The Baltimore Ravens just celebrated their 30th-anniversary season. Yeah… It didn’t go as planned or expected. This was supposed to be a year-long victory lap, a crowning moment after seasons of frustration.
Last year, the dreams of Super Bowl glory ended in the Divisional Round with a road loss against the Buffalo Bills. One year before that, they imploded at home in the AFC Championship Game and watched in shock as the Lamar Hunt Trophy that should have been theirs was handed to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Advertisement
This season, they didn’t even make the playoffs. Change came swiftly at the top, and John Harbaugh was relieved of his command. A head-coaching search ensued for the first time since the 2008 offseason. That led to the hiring of Jesse Minter. He’s the fourth head coach in this proud organization’s history.
His introductory press conference will be held on the final Thursday of January. He arrived one day earlier and received a hero’s welcome.
Now, that had to feel great. Minter returns to The Flock after five years in other programs, but this is home, where he received his first NFL coaching opportunity. Hired by Baltimore as part of Harbaugh’s staff in 2017, he first served as a defensive assistant (2017-18) before being promoted to assistant defensive backs coach in 2019. He dropped the ‘assistant’ label in 2020.
Advertisement
The welcome was well deserved. The celebration will be brief. Coach Minter isn’t returning to relive the past. He’s here to stabilize a franchise that suddenly finds itself at a crossroads. He is also here to win a Super Bowl.
The Ravens don’t need a reset. They, instead, need clarity. They also need to reconnect their roster and fan base with consistent winning results. Another chapter has begun, year 31. It’s time for the Baltimore Ravens to find their footing again.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Watch: Ravens staff gives Jesse Minter and his family a hero’s welcome