The Baltimore Ravens have begun making staff changes. It looks like the biggest change to the Ravens staff will be the loss of quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson. Jackson groomed Joe Flacco the last two seasons into a pretty solid quarterback.
Jackson will now, it appears, go to the Oakland Raiders to be the offensive coordinator. In Oakland, he will be the play-caller and tutor JaMarcus Russell who has been a bust thus far. I always thought Jackson was a good coach and it will be tough to replace him.
There have been reports that two candidates have emerged as favorites for the job. One is offensive consultant Al Saunders. Saunders is already with the Ravens, but has never been a quarterbacks coach. The other candidate is reportedly Jim Zorn. Zorn had an unsuccessful tenure as coach of the Washington Redskins, but is well-respected as a quarterbacks coach. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
In positive coaching news, the Ravens hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees. Pees didn’t have his contract renewed by the Patriots and was rumored to get the vacant defensive coordinator’s job in Denver, but decided to be the linebackers coach for the Ravens.
To make room for Pees on the coaching staff, linebackers coach Vic Fangio will not return. I think the Pees addition will be a welcome one to Baltimore’s coaching staff and, I believe, will help with the development of youngsters Dannell Ellerbe and Tavares Gooden.
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