Le Journal

A thorough head coaching search over the past few weeks for the Baltimore Ravens has come to a conclusion. On Thursday evening, the Ravens officially hired Jesse Minter to be the team’s next head coach. Here is the Baltimore Beatdown staff’s reaction to this decision. A new era begins. After missing out on a guy like Mike MacDonald, it seemed like the Ravens would want the next closest thing to lead them forward. While a part of me wanted either an offensive-minded coach or someone with no ties to the organization, I always suspected that Steve Bisciotti and Eric DeCosta would choose someone they were familiar with. Minter’s defenses have been fierce both in college and the NFL, and I am most impressed by the production he got from a team that did not invest a significant amount of its cap to the defense. I am intrigued to see the offensive coordinator Minter will pick. That will help me fully gather my thoughts on this hire. Hopefully Minter will help this franchise get back to the glory days. — Mark Myers Minter is the guy many pegged as the most likely choice to replace John Harbaugh in Baltimore. Minter’s previous stint here means he is fully aware of the culture and expectations that come with this franchise. Similar to Mike Macdonald, Minter is a young, brilliant, defensive mind that should immediately have the Ravens plying strong defense again after two down seasons. Picking the right offensive coordinator will be paramount for Minter now. — Dustin Cox Jesse Minter is a logical choice for the Baltimore Ravens’ next head coach. His connections to the organization and having coached under both Harbaugh brothers made him an instant favorite from the get-go. Some may consider these ties to be a downside, as he’s not a true “outside” hire per say. However, Minter’s experience with the Ravens years ago gives him a solid foundation of winning principles to build off of. He’s a branch on the Harbaugh tree, but very much his own coach. Much like Mike Macdonald, Minter is similarly a young defensive mastermind with multiple years of success now at both the collegiate and professional level. His defensive chops and expertise should instantly upgrade the Ravens significantly on that side of the ball, where they’ve regressed the last two years. The onus will now be on Minter to build out a high-level coaching staff around him, particularly on the offensive side of the ball to maximize Lamar Jackson and company. — Frank Platko Jesse Minter was the favorite all along, and the Ravens decided not to wait to interview any of the coaches whose teams are playing in conference championships this weekend. His resume is similar to Mike Macdonald, and Ravens fans will certainly be hoping he can bring that defensive prowess back to Baltimore. Minter’s defenses in Los Angeles have been excellent in each of the past two years, and his history and relationships in Baltimore will ease the transition after nearly two decades under John Harbaugh. Now, onto offensive coordinator, where Kliff Kingsbury appears to be the favorite. This staff could come together quickly. — Nikhil Mehta The Ravens hiring Jesse Minter always made sense, and today it became official. Minter has followed a similar path through the league as Mike MacDonald and has been overwhelmingly successful at every stop. Most impressively, Minter generated a top defense in LA this year despite being ranked 31st in spending on that side of the ball. Minter is clearly a highly intelligent coach and more importantly is loved by his players (go look at some of their X posts right now). Minter’s primary focus now will be restoring the culture of elite defense in Baltimore and making a great OC hire for Lamar Jackson and company. Time will tell if Minter will raise the Ravens’ ceiling, but after the last few years, the arrow is certainly pointing up for Minter and Baltimore. — Stephen Bopst Jesse Minter has been a popular name connected to Baltimore, going back farther…

The Ravens are hosting Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady for an in-person interview for their head coaching vacancy on Thursday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brady is the third apparent finalist to replace John Harbaugh. Outgoing Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter both interviewed in Baltimore this week, too. Brady’s offenses have been among the best in the NFL since he took over as coordinator during the 2023 season. The Bills’ running game – specifically running back James Cook – took major steps forward under Brady without losing any effectiveness through the air. He no doubt benefitted from having Josh Allen under center, but the team has consistently lacked elite receiving talent. This, of course, is a moot point as the Ravens have announced their new head coach.

The 2025 season was TCU’s second under defensive coordinator Andy Avalos. The Horned Frogs fared well to stop the pass last season, but run defense was another issue. TCU allowed 160.5 rushing yards and 4.2 yards per carry, making the Horned Frogs one of the worst run defenses in the Big 12. Would that improve in 2025? Returning most of its starting defensive linemen, including redshirt sophomore nose tackle Markis Deal, TCU made strides in the run game. The Horned Frogs held opponents to 133.1 rushing yards per game, which ranked fifth-best in the conference. TCU also limited foes to 3.7 yards per carry, which tied with BYU and Houston for fourth-best among Big 12 teams. The team allowed just 10 rushing touchdowns, second-fewest in the Big 12. Has some skills, Deal gonna be a dude in 26 for TCU pic.twitter.com/MMxcFii3ao— Jinx (@smartest1here) January 21, 2026 Although TCU fared well in the run game, generating pressure on the quarterback proved difficult. Fifth-year senior Devean Deal, who once again started at EDGE after transferring in from Tulane last offseason, finished with only 2.5 sacks, the most for any defensive lineman. Redshirt sophomore Ansel Din-Mbuh, a transfer from Washington State who registered six sacks in 2024, started 12 games this season, but compiled just two sacks. Redshirt sophomore Zach Chapman, a freshman all-american a year ago, logged only 1.5 sacks in nine starts. The good news for the Horned Frogs is that for the second offseason in a row, nearly every major contributor on the defensive line is eligible to return in 2026. We’ll first take a look at EDGE, where Devean Deal earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in his second season at TCU. The older brother of Markis Deal registered 53 total tackles, which led all EDGE rushers, while adding four pass breakups, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Most pressures, Big 12 EDGE defenders:David Bailey, Texas Tech: 74Romello Height, Texas Tech: 53John Henry Daley, Utah: 47Malachi Lawrence, UCF: 40Logan Fano, Utah: 36Devean Deal, TCU: 35Matthew Fobbs-White, Baylor: 33Wendell Gregory, Oklahoma State: 31Zach Chapman,… pic.twitter.com/7ktDpd8Vm9— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) December 8, 2025 With Deal graduating from the roster, TCU will look for redshirt junior Paul Oyewale and Zach Chapman to step in next season. Oyewale, who was rumored to be entering the transfer portal but has declared his return, totaled 31 total tackles, two sacks, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. A four-year member of the Horned Frogs, Oyewale has played in 27 games over the course of his TCU career. Chapman, who’s played in 26 games at TCU, finished with 28 total tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble in 2025. The Horned Frogs will be losing some depth at the EDGE position, as junior Jonathan Bax entered the portal and has since committed to Florida Atlantic. Replacing him will be sophomore Travis Jackson and a group of talented freshmen like Chad Woodfork, Jared Martin and John Schobel. TCU has signed two four-star prospects, Carter Buck and Jesse Ford, as well as Western Kentucky EDGE Koron Hayward and Texas Tech EDGE Cheta Ofili. Lake Travis DE Carter Buck talking about his decision to sign with TCU this morning @LTHSCavFootball @Carter_buck21 pic.twitter.com/RY1nJQ4FWp— Travis Recek (@TravisRecek) December 3, 2025 Moving over to defensive tackle, Din-Mbuh and Markis Deal are both returning next season. Din-Mbuh logged 24 total tackles, while Deal posted 26 total tackles, one sack and two pass breakups. Deal will be one of the team’s more experienced interior players, having played in 28 games over three seasons. Top reserves coming back include redshirt freshman Tristan Johnson, a midseason all-american who had 17 total tackles and 1.5 sacks. Freshmen Floyd Guidry III, Brody Whatley and Blake Robinett are all projected to return next season. Veteran names to watch include Connor Lingren, TCU’s No. 2 nose tackle who had eight tackles in…

Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week the Fantable – a round table of Bright Siders – give their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news. Fantable Questions of the Week Q1: What is your opinion of Jordan Goodwin and his impact on the court this season? Ashton: What a stud player. This will bleed into Q2 (not quarterly, you corporate nerds), but I specifically waited until the conclusion of the Suns and 76’ers to try to answer this. The deal is you can’t cut Goodie’s minutes. He played 20 minutes on Tuesday, the same as Green. Unless there is some fantastic trade at the table. I also agree that Goodwin is off the table. Do I put him in the untouchable realm? Of course not, but his player value is skyrocketing. OldAz: What strikes me with Jordan Goodwin is how different he seems in this stint with the Suns compared to his previous. The JG we see now is tenacious, ball hocking on defense, and embodies this team’s personality of effort and energy every minute he’s on the court. He has certainly improved his three-point shot, and his uncanny knack for collecting rebounds is awesome. What I can’t figure out is if he was like this in his first stint and it just didn’t fit as well, or if this is all about his growth over the last few years. It is striking because what he is doing embodies the culture of this team so perfectly and makes me wonder if the reason it didn’t work before is that one person on the floor hustling with four guys standing around just doesn’t look nearly as impressive. Kudos to Bryan Gregory for snatching him up when he became available and to Jordan Ott for making sure JG gets the minutes he deserves by hustling and doing everything on the floor this team needs. Rod: It’s rather amazing to think that, at this time last year, Goodwin wasn’t actually on an NBA squad. He was playing for the South Bay Lakers in the G League…and that was on a standard G League contract, not even a two-way. The Lakers didn’t sign him to a two-way until the trade deadline and then converted his two-way to a standard NBA deal near the end of the 2024/25 season. Thankfully, the Lakers decided to waive him last July because they had the opportunity to sign Marcus Smart and needed the roster spot to do so, which gave the Suns the opportunity to claim him. I wasn’t very impressed by his addition at first because he really didn’t impress me much in his first time with Phoenix (which was only half a season before he was part of the trade with Brooklyn that brought Royce O’Neale to the Suns), but he has most definitely impressed me this time around! He’s a tenacious defender and rebounder who plays bigger than his actual size, plus he’s developed a solid three-point shot, which all makes him a perfect fit for this team. Q2: There is some belief among fans that Jalen Green’s return will hurt the Suns’ defense. What’s your opinion on this? Ashton: Again, I waited until the conclusion of the 76’ers game to try and answer this question. These are my takeaways from a firm and solid NBA basketball perspective. I have no takeaways. The reality is that the sample size is just too small to make a definitive judgment on Green’s defense. He was not the “pigeon,” and I thought he held up well in the game, especially when the Suns needed to protect the lead in the fourth quarter. I was basically begging and pleading with the game chat to answer this question. But I would say the fanbase trusts his defense. I will mention that Goodwin had two steals while Green had none. I am not saying this is the end-all-be-all for defensive metrics, but it is worth noting. Now, if this were a question about Green’s offensive potential? The dude should star in the next “Fast and the Furious” series, where he drives a Ferrari to Mars. Wow, that man could move fast, and it should translate…