OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Mike Macdonald didn’t answer repeated calls from an unknown number because he thought he was a recruit and believed his football coaching career was over.
Macdonald’s time as a graduate assistant at the University of Georgia ended in 2014 after receiving his master’s degree in sports management with a 4.0 grade point average. With no offers to continue training, he reluctantly decided to move into the financial sector and signed a contract with KPMG, a global accounting firm.
Then Macdonald noticed a voicemail from that persistent but unknown number. He was from the Baltimore Ravens, who were offering a one-year coaching internship.
As Macdonald listened to the message, which he later said “was like a call from God,” the hand holding the phone began to shake with emotion.
“You’re thinking about your professional life and your career and you realize how lucky you are with the things that happened along the way,” Macdonald said.
A decade later, Macdonald is the coordinator of a historic defense that helped the Ravens advance to Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (3 p.m. ET, CBS).
One of Macdonald’s first tasks as an intern was to write up opponents’ plays on scorecards for coaches to use in practice. Now, he has devised a scheme of versatility and unpredictability in which the 355-pound nose tackle Michael Pierce drops in coverage, defensive tackle Justin Madubuike sometimes he collides with the edge and the strong safety Kyle Hamilton It lines up everywhere.
The Ravens became the first team in NFL history to lead the league in fewest points allowed (16.5), most sacks (60) and most steals (31) in a single season. Baltimore wiped out this year’s best offenses, including dominance by the top three (the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions), and quarterbacks were hit so hard that five had to leave games this season. In the 34-10 divisional playoff win over the Houston Texans on Saturday, the Ravens held Houston without an offensive touchdown and did not allow standout rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud will run a play inside the Baltimore 25-yard line.
In a matter of two years, Macdonald went from being the youngest defensive coordinator in the NFL to one of the most attractive candidates for head coach. At 36 years old, he has interviewed with five teams about their vacancies: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders.
“I just think he’s a wizard,” the Ravens middle linebacker said. Roquan Smith. “Moreover, find out what the teams struggle with, [cuál] It is the weakness of a team, and [conoce] our strength and is able to turn them into a game plan situation. “It’s quite nice.”
Although the quarterback Lamar Jackson remains the breakout star for the AFC’s top-seeded Ravens, his defense has been equally integral in leading Baltimore to its first AFC Championship Game in 11 seasons. These are some of the players who made this year’s Ravens defense exceptionally successful.
Jadeveon Clowney calls Kyle Hamilton ‘The Avatar’, because of the way the 6-foot-4 safety can run and hit. Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
Key Stat: He was the only player with at least 80 tackles, 3 sacks and 4 interceptions this season.
A couple of weeks before the 2022 draft, Ravens coach John Harbaugh had a question for Hamilton during his visit to Baltimore.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
The Ravens had the 14th pick and Hamilton, an All-American at Notre Dame, was considered a top-five talent. But, whether because of his slower-than-expected 40-yard dash time (4.59) or teams not prioritizing safeties, Hamilton slipped to Baltimore, which drafted him despite having two proven starters at the position.
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In his second season, Hamilton has become one of the Ravens’ best and most versatile players. Hamilton and the Jets cornerback, Sauce Gardnerare the only players selected in the first round of the 2022 draft who will be named All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl.
The Ravens consider Hamilton one of their most deceptive players, and it goes beyond him lining up at deep safety, slot cornerback, inside linebacker and even defensive tackle.
“There’s nothing that kid can’t do,” Ravens secondary coach Chris Hewitt said. “Don’t let the baby face fool you. He’ll try to rip your face off.”
Hamilton is the first Ravens player in 22 years to record double-digits in tackles for loss (10) and passes defensed (13) in a single season.
“I call him ‘The Avatar,'” the Ravens outside linebacker said. Jadeveon Clowney. “He’s a 6-foot-4 safety and can run [y] hit”.
Justin Madubuike’s streak of 11 consecutive games with at least half a sack (it ended on Christmas Day) is tied for the longest in NFL single-season history. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Key Stat: His 13 sacks were the most by a Raven since Elvis Dumervil had 17 in 2014.
In analyzing why Madubuike has produced one of the greatest seasons in team history, outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith believes his sacks increased when he worked on different ways to get to the quarterback.
Madubuike has taken down passers with spins, crosscuts and cutting moves. He has been known to approach Smith before games and ask him to work on his technique.
“‘Beeks’ is really the type of guy that is absolutely trying to knock your head off every play,” Smith said. “There is no other way to say it”.
Madubuike became the first Ravens player to record double-digit sacks in a season since Terrell Suggs in 2017, and few could have predicted he would become the most dominant interior pass rusher in the league. He had 8.5 sacks in his first three years (42 games) combined.
The Baltimore Guard Kevin Zeitler, said that some defensive linemen run around you while others run over you. Madubuike is different.
“He can do it all,” Zeitler said.
Madubuike’s streak of 11 consecutive games with at least half a sack (it ended on Christmas Day) is tied for the longest in NFL single-season history. His performance has been timely, considering that he is in a contract year.
Pro Football Focus projects he will receive a contract that averages $23 million per season, which would rank as the fourth-highest for a defensive tackle. If the Ravens are unable to sign him to a long-term contract, they are expected to place the franchise tag on him.
“He’s come into this year with a mission mentality from the beginning,” Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver said. “I’m talking about March, and seeing it all come true has been incredible.”
Key Stat: His 24% pass-rushing win rate was fifth-best in the NFL.
As general manager Eric DeCosta puts it, the Ravens had “flirted” with Clowney for years. It only took until this year for the parts to come together in what may have been the best season of his nine-year career.
“We’ve always thought his game translates to ours,” DeCosta said. “It was really the perfect situation, because we had a need and he was available and I didn’t have the market that he has had.
“So we looked at it as kind of a low-risk, high-reward, high-reward move. I think he was at a stage in his career where he just wanted to go somewhere that was very stable, with no drama and an opportunity to win games.”
At 30 years old, Clowney didn’t receive much interest last summer after the Cleveland Browns sent him home at the end of the 2022 season for making critical comments about their usage. Baltimore signed Clowney to a one-year, $2.5 million, incentive-laden contract in mid-August (a significant drop from his $10 million payday a year ago) and there weren’t many expectations for the No. 1 pick. 2014 draft.
Clowney’s only goal entering the season was to play every game. Not only did he play a full season, but Clowney nearly reached double-digit sacks for the first time. He finished with 9.5 sacks, the most of his career.
“There’s nobody in this building, probably except Lamar Jackson, who’s had as much pressure as Jadeveon Clowney,” Chuck Smith said. “[Debido a] the complementary pieces around him, he’s not Jadeveon Clowney, the first-round pick, the No. 1 guy. He’s just ‘J.'”
He rejuvenated his image as a pass rusher with 46 first pressures, the best mark of his career.
Clowney’s best play was a sack of the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback, Justin Herbertin the red zone in Week 12. His most memorable moment was his prolonged celebration after going over nine sacks, earning him a total of $1.75 million in incentives.
“I think he has many years left in the tank.” [con] the way he comes out,” Roquan Smith said. “People can say he’s lost things in there, but I see it week in and week out. “This guy is dangerous out there.”
Geno Stone of the Baltimore Ravens had one interception in his first 34 games, but has had seven this season. Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire
Key stat: His seven regular-season interceptions were the most by a Raven since Ed Reed had eight in 2010.
Stone remembers the exact day and time (April 25 at 10:48 a.m.) he scored five goals for himself. One of them was making three interceptions.
Stone accomplished that in Week 6 and finished with seven interceptions, which ranked second in the NFL.
“I think he is a good example of someone who takes care of the details on a day-to-day basis, comes to work every day, does the best he can, doesn’t complain, doesn’t get caught up in things. [como]’Why doesn’t this happen to me?'” Harbaugh said. “I think it’s a good lesson for young people. If you are going to see that [y dicen] ‘I want to be great at something’ or ‘I want to be a pro football player,’ look at Geno Stone and what he’s been doing.”
Stone, a seventh-round pick in 2020 (the 21st safety selected that year), was released twice by Baltimore in his rookie season before re-signing and playing primarily on special teams in 2021 and 2022. He had a interception in his first 34 games.
Then this season, Stone made 11 starts filling in for injured safeties Marcus Williams and Hamilton, and instantly became a ball magnet as a defensive midfielder. His streak of four games with an interception is the second-longest in franchise history.
“They always say respect is earned, not given,” Stone said. “I try to go out there every day, earn respect and show what I can do in this league.”
2024-01-26 14:01:49
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