Head Coach John Harbaugh left the door open to adding a quarterbacks coach for next season.
This past year, Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron doubled as the quarterbacks coach, putting him in direct daily contact with signal caller Joe Flacco.
But there could be another person added to the process.
“I think we’ll see where all that goes down the road. I mean it’s a possibility,” Harbaugh said.
Cameron and Offensive Assistant Craig Ver Steeg were in the quarterbacks meeting room this past season after the Ravens parted ways with 2010 Quarterbacks Coach Jim Zorn, who moved on to Kansas City.
Harbaugh liked how that arrangement worked. Flacco threw for 3,610 yards and 20 touchdowns, won 13 games and showed his progress in a sparkling AFC championship performance.
“The way that it worked out last year on offense, to me, was tremendously successful,” he said. “[It] was the right move at the right time.
“I think the quarterback and the offensive coordinator need to really be of one mind; both relationally and football wise. Those guys being in the room together to me was a smashing success. I think that really helped Joe grow this offense, and it was a direct communication every single day, all day long with the offensive coordinator, the play caller and the guy who was building the offensive system.”
Whether that will be the best arrangement for next year, however, Harbaugh hasn’t decided yet. He said they are talking about that right now.
Harbaugh said Flacco will have a “tremendous amount” of input in the decision, along with Cameron. Harbaugh said “all options are open.”
On Friday, Cameron spoke about his relationship with Flacco.
“I’m fortunate,” he said. “I’ve known Joe longer than anybody here. We have a great relationship. Joe has grown so much in so many ways, not only as a player but a man. I say it every year, you see the greatness developing in this guy.
“We all want more stats out of Joe. We live in a fantasy football stat world, offensively. I understand where thatcomes from, but Joe has all the major bases covered at this point in his career. He’s right on track to where a lot of the great ones have been and that’s encouraging for us, our relationship.”
In regards to other coaching moves, the Ravens are in the process of figuring out who will replace Dean Pees, who was promoted from linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.
Harbaugh isn’t anticipating any other assistant coaches leaving his staff.
“Our guys have done a great job,” Harbaugh said. “You never know as things kind of shake out, but all of our guys are under contract right now, and we’re looking forward to having everybody back.”
In the wake of Billy Cundiff’s missed game-tying field goal at the end of the AFC championship game, some have questioned whether he will be back in Baltimore for another season.
John Harbaugh is not one of them.
The Ravens head coach gave no indication during his press conference Friday that Cundiff’s future with the Ravens is in jeopardy.
“It was a tough situation, it was a tough moment,” Harbaugh said. “It doesn’t lessen who he is in my mind in any way or what he’s done. We just move forward and we’ll be the best team we can be next year and he’ll be the best kicker he can be.”
Cundiff missed the 32-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining, and the Ravens lost 23-20.
The field goal and scoreboard display on the Ravens possession have been subjects of discussion this week, as the scoreboard showed the wrong down information. The scoreboard said it was third down when it was actually fourth.
But Harbaugh said the scoreboard is not what he uses to determine the down information, and displaying the wrong down isn’t an excuse for missing the field goal.
“To me, it doesn’t affect a 32-yard field goal and that’s what Billy said. He’s got to make that kick no matter what,” Harbaugh said. “Yeah the scoreboard was behind, but it didn’t affect us in any way in what we were doing and that kick should get made.”
The missed field goal capped off a tough season for the former Pro Bowl kicker.
He finished the year making 28 of his 37 attempts, but was just 55 percent on the road. He also made just one of his six field goal attempts of 50 yards or longer.
Cundiff missed one game during the season because of a calf injury, and the Ravens brought in veteran Shayne Graham to fill in. kick while Cundiff was injured.
As the Ravens head into the offseason, replacing Cundiff does not appear to be on Harbaugh’s mind.
“Billy Cundiff is a heck of a kicker,” Harbaugh said. “He’s an honest guy, he’s a smart guy. He wants to do well.”
Cam Cameron will be back in Baltimore for another season.
The Ravens announced Friday that they have signed Cameron to an extension after already serving as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator for four years.
Cameron’s return will keep some continuity among the Ravens’ assistant coaches. Baltimore lost Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano to the Colts this offseason, but Cameron will be back to lead the offense that came within seconds of reaching the Super Bowl.
Cameron’s contract was set to expire this offseason.
Under Cameron in 2011, the Ravens finished the season ranked 15th in total yards, 19th in passing and 10th in rushing. They finished fourth in the AFC in scoring.
“It was a good year,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said. “We turned a lot of things over as an offense.”
The Ravens had four Pro Bowlers on offense – right guard Marshal Yanda, fullback Vonta Leach, running back Ray Rice and left guard Ben Grubbs.
Cameron also coached the quarterbacks this season, and Joe Flacco finished the year with 3,610 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Harbaugh said it has not yet been determined if Cameron will coach the quarterbacks again next season.
“We’ll see where all that goes down the line,” Harbaugh said when asked if they are planning to bring in a quarterbacks coach. “That’s a possibility.”
Dean Pees doesn’t have the fiery personality of Chuck Pagano.
But Pees and Pagano share something.
They both really know defense.
On Friday afternoon, Pees was named the Ravens’ new defensive coordinator, promoted from his job as linebackers coach. He replaces Pagano, who became the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach after one year as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator.
“The tradition of this defense will continue and it will flourish and it will get even better,” said Head Coach John Harbaugh.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to be a defensive coordinator for anybody in this league, but it’s especially humbling to be one for the Ravens,” said Pees. “I’m not going to be the same as Chuck Pagano. You got to be who you are.”
Pees has been in this seat before. He was the New England Patriots’ defensive coordinator for four years from 2006 to 2009.
The Patriots’ defense was among the worst in the league this year, and it wasn’t too much better last season. But it wasn’t that way when Pees was there.
During that time, the Patriots ranked in the NFL’s top 10 each season in points allowed per game. In 2006, Pees’ defense set a New England franchise-record for points allowed per game (14.8). It was the second lowest total in the NFL.
In 2007, the Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, and the defense allowed the fewest yards by a New England defense in 28 years. They were second in the league with 47 sacks.
“Dean has done it. He’s been with the Patriots,” linebacker Jameel McClain said.
“He knows our style of play. I know firsthand Dean is a great guy, a great coach, and, man, he knows his stuff.”
Now that the Ravens season is over, fans can begin to examine their needs, their potential draft picks, and their potential free-agent signings.
At the beginning of all these topics, though, is who the Ravens re-sign and who they let go.
The Ravens have a bumper crop of players to re-sign, including their leading rusher, their best cornerback and perhaps their best offensive lineman as well.
To exacerbate the problem, the Ravens will be intent on working out a long-term contract with quarterback Joe Flacco.
The Ravens don't have unlimited money. Some very good players will have to be let go, while others will be made a priority.
Here is who should be retained and who should be let go.
Remember the mad respect Patriots quarterback Tom Brady gave Ed Reed in a press conference prior to the AFC championship, saying the safety doesn’t have any weaknesses?
Yeah, I didn’t think so.
That’s because it sounds like almost every other sound bite you’d expect to hear prior to facing a respected opponent before a major showdown. Usually you talk up your adversary, rather than feed him fodder and motivation.
“When you break the huddle, you find where [Reed's] at,” Brady told reporters the week leading up to the showdown.
No fake.
Take a look at the picture snapped by the Associated Press (H/T Boston Herald) from the Pats-Ravens battle.
It’s of Brady’s arm, and if you read closely you can see three things Brady wanted to remind himself of before every snap.
“KNEES FLEXED — DOWN, DOWN!”
“NO TURNOVERS”
“FIND 20 ON EVERY PLAY.”
Speculation On Ravens’ Coaching Announcement Today
Chuck Pagano was officially introduced as the new head coach of the Colts yesterday.
Here’s what you could expect, according to Jeff Zrebiec.
“All indications are that linebackers coach Dean Pees remains the clear front-runner to succeed Pagano as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will stay in his current position,” wrote Zrebiec.
He went on to say that the reason behind predicting Cameron’s return, besides finishing strong last season and helping the team to two AFC-title games in four years, was that a league source said the offensive coordinator called his assistants and gave them instructions for the upcoming weeks.
“Yet another sign that he will return next season,” wrote Zrebiec.
For more speculation on what will happen with the coaching staff, CSNBaltimore.com’s John Eisenberg explains to PFT.com’s Mike Florio why he’s changed his mind about the possibility of Cameron and the Ravens mutually agreeing to part ways. Now the columnist is “leaning” toward Cameron staying.
In 2006, Pees’ unit set a franchise-record for points allowed per game (14.8), which was also the second lowest total in the NFL.
In 2007, the Pats went 16-0 (lost in Super Bowl to Giants) and Pees lead a unit that allowed the fewest yards by a New England defense in 28 years. They were second in the league with 47 sacks.
In 2008, the defense allowed just 309.9 yards per game, good for second best in the league.
In 2009, Pees’ final year, the Pats finished fifth in scoring defense.
After his departure, New England’s defense plummeted to 25th and 31st in yards allowed per game in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
Pagano’s Introductory Press Conference As Colts Head Coach
In his introductory press conference as the Colts head coach, Pagano admitted he thought he was going to end up in Indianapolis.
But not under these circumstances.
“I thought for sure that I was going to be coming to Indy to play for a world championship,” Pagano told media. He said he would have preferred coaching the Ravens defense in the Super Bowl over arriving for this reason.
The Ravens’ former defensive coordinator said the last few days have been a “whirlwind.”
He hadn’t even taken shower after the AFC championship loss before Harbaugh called him into his office to tell him the Colts wanted him to fly in for an interview.
Two days later, he accepted the job offer.
“Words can’t describe the emotions that I’m going through right now and the feelings,” Pagano said. “Coming off probably the most devastating loss that I’ve ever been a part of in the AFC championship game and to go in that locker room and see those faces and we all know how hard it is to get to that stage and to see the tears. It’s an all-time low, and the last thing I ever expected came across my table and now I sit here at an all-time high.”
2006 Re-Draft Makes Ngata No. 1 Pick
What would the Ravens look like today if in 2006 they drafted running back Reggie Bush with their 12th-overall selection, and the Houston Texans took defensive tackle Haloti Ngata at No. 1?
I don’t even want to imagine it.
But with six full years of hindsight, ESPN’s Mel Kiper says that’s how the draft should have gone down.
“[Ngata's] played in 94 of 96 possible regular-season games, plays a premium position, is a Pro Bowl shoo-in and would dominate in any system,” wrote Kiper. “Safe to say the guy Ray Lewis pushed for to free up the Baltimore linebackers has worked out just fine, and the future holds plenty more.”
With Haloti going No. 1 in Kiper’s re-draft, the best person on the board by the time Ravens were up was Bush. He originally went to the Saints at No. 2.
“People who want to call Bush a bust simply aren’t watching the tape,” wrote Kiper. “He’s only a disappointment if you had Hall of Fame projections because of where he was taken. But Bush has done plenty.”
Good for Bush, but no thanks. The Ravens are happy with Ngata.
Quick Hits
Matt Vensel’s thoughts on four Ravens dropping out of the Pro Bowl: “Until the NFL finds a way to make the Pro Bowl a semi-serious game — and really, I don’t see that happening any time soon — I don’t blame star players not taking it seriously, either.” [The Baltimore Sun]
Steelers safety Ryan Clark on the Ravens AFC championship loss: “I know it seems like for the Ravens right now, always the bridesmaid and never a bride.” [ESPN]
RavensInsider: Ben Grubbs (on Pro Bowl): ‘It’s nice to be able to relax and wear shorts and flip flops and lay in the pool, but I would much rather be in the Super Bowl.” [Twitter]
There are so many variables that can and will affect where the Ravens select in a given round.
Will they trade up?
Will they trade down?
Will one of their top-rated players have a run-in with the law between now and the draft?
The Ravens are like the Patriots and Packers, in that they are extremely sound and prepared when it comes to the draft. They know who they want and they know the value of each player.
Furthermore, those teams are perennially in contention for the Super Bowl, giving them the luxury of not having to reach for a pick and being able to trade down to acquire more selections.
Right now, the Ravens have the #29 selection in the first round.
From a health standpoint, Sergio Kindle made his return this year.
But the Ravens’ second-year linebacker was still catching up mentally.
That played into why he was active for just two games, Kindle said on Monday.
“The main thing was getting the playbook down,” Kindle said. “When you’ve got to start cold turkey on that, it’s rough.”
After fracturing his skull on the eve of his rookie season, the 2009 second-round pick had to sit out the entire year.
He couldn’t work with coaches over the summer because of the lockout and was essentially a rookie again when he returned this season. Except now he had major hearing loss in his left ear, which further complicated matters.
Kindle showed flashes of his pass-rush talent in training camp, but had room to grow as an overall linebacker, particularly in coverage and knowing his assignments. His hearing loss added to the amount he had to learn, since communicating on the field is more challenging.
Kindle worked closely with Outside Linebackers Coach Ted Monachino to learn the scheme. He estimated he found a way to retain it about midway through the season.
Instead of just reading the playbook, Kindle started to draw the formations himself and then write in what his responsibilities are on each play, per offensive formation, per route.
“We just tried to find ways for it to stick and we did,” Kindle said. “It just simplified it for me.”
“Sergio has made tremendous progress in his learning of the playbook,” Monachino said.
“He is still in the process of learning the detail and taking the gray out of the playbook. We try to get things down to the lowest common denominator with all of our players. This process has been longer with Sergio because of a lot of different factors.”
Monachino said the next step for Kindle is applying his knowledge of the package to the field, where the Xs and Os are moving and his responsibilities sometimes change.
Kindle logged 16 sacks in his final two seasons at Texas. So he and the Ravens know there’s potential.
Kindle was signed to a one-year contract last offseason, which now makes him an exclusive-rights free agent. He had Terrell Suggs, Jarret Johnson and Paul Kruger, who made great strides in his development and playing time, ahead of him this season. Johnson is an unrestricted free agent.
“My main thing is to get stronger and be a more aware coverage guy at linebacker,” Kindle said. “That’s the main thing, to come in and be a factor and step up to the plate when it’s my turn to bat.”
Bryant McKinnie did exactly what was asked of him this season.
In his first year with the Ravens, the 10-year veteran took over the left tackle spot and started all 18 games.
McKinnie is signed through next season, and he says he’s ready for another year in Baltimore.
“I feel like I’ll be better next year,” McKinnie said Monday. “I just want to make sure it’s a bright future, so I’m going to prepare myself to do better things next season.”
McKinnie, six-foot-eight, 360 pounds, signed with the Ravens after nine seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings reportedly cut him over concerns about his weight, but McKinnie shed a lot of that weight when he first arrived in Baltimore and moved into the starting role just two weeks after signing with the Ravens.
McKinnie said he meshed well with his teammates, and was impressed with the leadership in the Ravens’ locker room.
“One thing I can say about this locker room is that there’s a lot of professionals here and they act as a team,” McKinnie said. “There’s no division in here, and I’ve been on teams where you have a little division. This is actually a team and everybody sticks together and acts like brothers. That’s what you need.”
When the Ravens signed McKinnie, Michael Oher moved to the right tackle spot, where he started every game this season and played well.
The Ravens are expected to keep those two in the same positions going into next year and Pro Bowler Marshal Yanda will be back at right guard, but there are questions about other spots on the line.
Regardless of what happens with the rest of the line, McKinnie said he could see himself in a Ravens jersey for a long time.
“Yeah I could, as long as I stay fresh,” McKinnie said. “I’ve been blessed to be able to make it through 10 seasons without any major injuries and not missing a game, so I’m going to keep fighting and keep going.”
Cory Redding has been a starting defensive end and veteran leader in the locker room during his two seasons with the Ravens.
But Redding’s two-year contract expires at the end of the league season in March, and he is unsure if he’ll be back in Baltimore next year.
“I stand now today, I’m a free agent,” Redding said Monday. “I’m definitely evaluating myself and where I stand in my career and just kind of taking it one day at a time. I’m just enjoying the moments I had in this locker room with these guys because the makeup of this team is going to be different next year.”
As the Ravens cleared out their lockers Monday to begin the offseason, Redding said his upcoming contract discussions were not at the top of his mind, as the frustration of losing the AFC championship game was still fresh.
“Not looking at that yet,” Redding said. “It’s still a tough one to swallow. It is what it is, man.”
Redding started in 11 games this season, registering 43 tackles and 4.5 sacks. The sack total was his highest since 2006.
During his nine-year career, Redding has been through some extreme highs and lows. He went through a winless season with the Detroit Lions in 2008, and this year was the closest he has ever come to making a Super Bowl.
“I’m a little heartbroken, but when we look back at it, we had opportunities and that’s all you can ask for, is just an opportunity to get a chance to play and play for your childhood dreams,” Redding said. “We did some good things this year, and that’s all I’m hanging my hat on.”
As Redding packed up for the offseason, he went through the painfully familiar process of leaving with a sense of disappointment, and an uncertainty about his future with the Ravens.
“That comes with it; guys come and go,” Redding said. “Losses with guys getting cut, guys getting traded, end of the season, free agency, all that kind of stuff.
“You know that in this game, nothing is forever and that’s why you have to enjoy the moments you have and opportunities you get because you don’t know if they’ll ever come back.”
January 27th, 2012 
Ryan Mink 
