Baltimore Ravens’ new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was introduced on Wednesday to the media. He’s not new to the organization, as he spent seven seasons in Baltimore working in a multitude of different roles before being hired as the defensive coordinator for Jim Harbaugh at the University of Michigan. During his presser, Macdonald’s answers portrayed that he is happy to be back with the franchise that he spent so long with.
When Macdonald was asked about what he’d like his defensive unit, the defensive coordinator went into detail not only about some of the key things he’d prefer to see, but also about what the franchise has build over the years.
“I think you’re building on what we’ve been able to do over the last … Really, over the course of the entire franchise, right? Especially since [head coach] John [Harbaugh] has been here and since 2014, but the first thing you want is a cohesive unit. You want everybody to have each other’s backs. There’s a certain style of play that it takes to ‘Play Like A Raven,’ right? And then how you build it, you want it to be multiple. I think that’s what we were aiming for in 2018, and I think we were able to achieve a lot of that. You want it to be flexible and adaptive, but it needs to be complementary as well, and it needs to be light enough where you can adjust certain things, and it’s simple for the players, so they can go play the way you expect them to go play.”
Mike Macdonald on the defense: pic.twitter.com/r07zCu8In2
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) February 2, 2022
Macdonald can take this Ravens defense in many different directions, but it sounds like has a plan for what he believes the best course of action will be. The former Michigan defensive coordinator showed that he can get the best out of young talent in the college ranks, and he’ll have plenty of high-upside guys at his disposal in Baltimore with players such as defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, inside linebacker Patrick Queen, and outside linebacker Odafe Oweh. Many are excited about Macdonald’s arrival, and rightfully so.