OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Calling it “a dream come true” to return to Baltimore as the new Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdondald will now be tasked with turning around a unit derailed by big plays and injuries in 2021.
Just how much the defense will change in the transition from Wink Martindale to the former University of Michigan defensive coordinator remains to be seen, but the 34-year-old Macdonald — who was a member of the Ravens’ defensive staff from 2014-20 — vowed that Baltimore’s aggressive nature won’t change, expressing the desire to remain “flexible and adaptive” with a multi-look defense. Of course, the proof will be in the details, which will likely include plenty of roster turnover this offseason.
“You’ve got to look through the lens, ‘What does aggressiveness actually mean?'” Macdonald said. “It’s about keeping the offense off balance and where they’re not really believing what they’re seeing on a down-to-down basis. A lot of times, that will come with the schemed-up pressure — that’ll happen. A lot of times it could be a fake pressure, [and] it could look like this coverage and play like another one. You’re changing the stress points of the zones and things like that and just trying to create doubt at all times.
“You want to be the one pushing the envelope rather than the other way around.”
Of course, much of that “aggressiveness” under Martindale centered around sending extra rushers with the Ravens leading the NFL in blitz rate from 2018-20 and finishing in the top five in pressure rate in 2018 and 2020, according to Pro Football Reference. However, that approach went awry last season with Baltimore falling to 24th in pressure rate and Martindale deploying blitzes 31.1% of the time (sixth in the NFL), the lowest mark of his four-year tenure in charge.
Crediting Macdonald as “very integral” to the Ravens’ rebuild of their defensive system after coordinator Dean Pees’ departure in January of 2018, head coach John Harbaugh said the way his former linebackers coach applied that same system in Ann Arbor to turn around the Wolverines’ defense last year was one of the deciding factors to hire him from a pool of interviewees that included defensive line coach Anthony Weaver and secondary coach Chris Hewitt, two candidates with more experience.
“We had a number of interviews, and all the guys did a great job,” Harbaugh said. “But Mike was different in the sense that I was able to see his thought process in terms of the way he built a defense on his own. He took the defense and structured it and was able to teach me that, relay that to me, and show me how he did it. How he solved the problems that the college game presented [and] that the pro game presents within the structure of the defense. How he taught things, how he kind of grew the things and made some advancements in it all was just very impressive.”
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In addition to maintaining an aggressive style, one of the more important lessons Macdonald took from Martindale was emphasizing the need for “overcommunication” to prepare players for every in-game call and situation. Preparing the defense like it was “playing the game before it happens” helped the Ravens allow the fewest points in the NFL from 2018-20, but 2021 brought too many big plays allowed and instances of miscommunication leading to Baltimore finishing 19th in points allowed, 25th in total yards surrendered, 32nd in passing yards allowed, and 28th in defensive efficiency. Injuries and a subsequent reliance on less-experienced players were substantial factors in that regression, but even mainstays such as top cornerback Marlon Humphrey and safety Chuck Clark struggled more than usual this past season.
As much as the Ravens are looking forward to a fresh perspective at defensive coordinator, much of the heavy lifting for a potential 2022 rebound will be done by general manager Eric DeCosta and the scouting department to rebuild an aging defensive line and add talent to every level of the defense. As Martindale liked to say, the game ultimately comes down to the players on the field.
“The standard, that’s where we want to be,” Macdonald said. “Ultimately, our goal is not even top 10, right? You want to be No. 1, so that’s the standard.”
