Already trying to sort out an offensive line needing to replace three starters from last season, the Ravens will now be without the man who coaches that position group for the foreseeable future.
The team revealed in a statement Wednesday that offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris was hospitalized last weekend with “an acute illness” that will require treatment for “an extended period of time.” Head coach John Harbaugh said D’Alessandris underwent surgery earlier this summer, and “some complications” prompted his hospitalization and now an indefinite leave of absence.
D’Alessandris has been Baltimore’s offensive line coach since 2017 and has worked in the NFL since 2008 after beginning his coaching career at the college level in 1977.
“It’s a blow. It’s a blow because he’s a great football coach,” Harbaugh said. “He’s beloved by the players, by the coaches. He’s a top game planner, a top coach. He’s a huge part of our offense, and he’s going to be missed very much, but we’re going to be much more concerned about his health and his welfare and his well-being going forward.
“He has his daughters with him. His daughters have been amazing all summer. They’re the absolute best. I know he cherishes those girls, so it’s going to be OK.”
Reporters don't talk to position coaches a ton over the course of a season, but Joe is a sweet man and highly respected by his fellow coaches and players for his work. My prayers are with him. https://t.co/YHxRVFZsPk— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) August 14, 2024
The 70-year-old D’Alessandris lost his wife of 42 years, Toni, to a rare form of Parkinson’s disease in 2022.
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Despite the Ravens not investing a ton of early-round draft capital in their offensive line since the arrival of D’Alessandris — who did inherit perennial Pro Bowl right guard Marshal Yanda near the end of his career and 2016 first-round left tackle Ronnie Stanley — seven years ago, their offensive lines have typically ranked in the top half of the league or better, according to different analytics rankings. During his time in Baltimore, Yanda, Stanley, Orlando Brown Jr., Kevin Zeitler, and Tyler Linderbaum each made at least one Pro Bowl while late-round picks or undrafted free agents such as Bradley Bozeman, Matt Skura, and Patrick Mekari developed into starting-caliber players or valuable reserves.
In the interim, the Ravens have hired longtime NFL offensive line coach George Warhop, who most recently coached for the Houston Texans in 2022. The 62-year-old will now be tasked with overseeing a young offensive line that lost Zeitler, veteran right tackle Morgan Moses, and left guard John Simpson in the offseason.
“He’s a guy that we’ve known for many years and respected,” Harbaugh said. “He’s someone who Todd [Monken] has worked with in the past in Tampa Bay. Other coaches have known him and worked with him on our staff. He doesn’t know our system per se in terms of our terminology, but he can learn that very quickly. But he knows our techniques. He knows the style, the way we’re running the plays, the principles of the plays — he knows all of that stuff. He’s an experienced coach that knows that stuff inside and out, so he’ll step right in and he’ll start working with those guys right away.”
Joe D’Alessandris of the @NFL @Ravens is a Coaches Coach. A premier driver and teacher of a players potential. A life long learner and as tough as they come. I know what he means to John and the Whole Organization. I’m betting on Joe and the healing of God to come through. https://t.co/bskJgllFna— Tom Crean (@TomCrean) August 14, 2024
Andrews fine despite car accident
The news about D’Alessandris came roughly an hour after the organization announced three-time Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews sustained no injuries in a car accident on his way to the Owing Mills training facility Wednesday morning.
Andrews didn’t practice and “was originally scheduled for a non-practice day,” according to the team.
“What I would say about that, I would say wear your seatbelts,” Harbaugh said. “Mark wore his seatbelt, and that was an accident that happened and it was pretty significant, I believe. He came out of it with nothing at all — not a scrape. Wear your seatbelts, and we’re thankful to God for that — for him coming out of that safe and for God protecting him in that circumstance.”
