Defense used to be the hallmark of what made the Baltimore Ravens competitive season after season, but not anymore, according to a former coordinator who ripped into rookie head coach Jesse Minter’s unit and its “so-called leaders.”
Ex-Ravens DC Don ‘Wink’ Martindale savaged the 2026 defense during a conversation with Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News. Martindale, who called plays in Baltimore from 2018-22, told the Talkin’ Ball podcast, “The leaders on that team are not representing the Ravens of old. Watching the defense, there’s players making business decisions, you know, especially the so-called leaders of them. They need to dig deep and find some football character there in that locker room.”
Martindale’s putting the onus on defense because of the Ravens’ history of strong performances on that side of the ball. That strength has been missing during back-to-back games when this season’s unit surrendered double-digit leads in the second half.
It isn’t only Martindale calling out those collapses. A franchise icon and one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history has also trashed Minter and his staff for repeated failings.
Martindale made clear exactly what Minter and coordinator Anthony Weaver must do to solve the problem.
Wink Martindale Tells Jesse Minter How to Reach Underperforming Defense
Martindale thinks “Jesse’s a great coach,” but the 63-year-old believes the problems stem from the attitudes of key players. As he put it, “they talk about their second-half collapses and everything else. Well, man up! Make a play, stay aggressive.”
There are different ways to get the aggressiveness back on defense, but Martindale doesn’t want to see the Ravens “have a players’ only meeting, ’cause they’ve been telling each other [Expletive] for all season. They need an adult in the room to tell them, ‘Here’s where we at and here’s what we gotta do,’ and show ’em clips of making, you know, business decisions on gameday, ’cause that’s not what Baltimore’s defense is about.”
“They need to find some football character in that locker room.” Sees players making “business decisions” on the field.
“The leaders are not representing the Ravens
Those are strong words even against the backdrop of the Ravens’ recent issues defending leads. Martindale’s somebody who knows all about the standards expected of a Ravens defense.
Minter also knows what’s required to field a smothering unit of this side of the ball. He called tough defenses for Michigan and the Los Angeles Chargers, but the same formula isn’t working in Baltimore, where Minter’s standards are being mocked by underperforming All-Pro talent.
This “mockery” shows Martindale’s savage take on senior players contains an uncomfortable element of truth. Even if some of those big names are doing their best to change the narrative and put a positive spin on things.
Ravens’ Defensive Leaders Send Contradictory Messages About Criticism
Minter wasn’t shy about calling out the lack of effort on defense during the 35-13 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. The coach’s comments prompted four-time Pro Bowl edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson to hit back with a defense of his own hustle.
Hendrickson’s not the only big name on the Ravens’ defense speaking out, but his comments were in sharp contrast to those of All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton.
The latter told reporters, including Fox Baltimore’s Morgan Adsit, “I try to relay this message to the DBs, like, it’s a game at the end of the day. I feel like sometimes we’re thinking the whole world’s gonna end if something bad happens. (…) None of our tombstones are going to say ‘Kyle Hamilton football player’ it’s a game that we play. We need to have fun doing it. And we need to be out there playing the game, like we are playing a game.”
Wants his teammates to do their job, best to their ability, and have fun.
“None of our tombstones are going to say ‘Kyle Hamilton football player’ it’s a game that we play. We need to have fun doing
Hamilton wants the Ravens to keep things simple and not “get caught up in outside noise.” It’s a call for focus, but hardly the aggressive rallying cry Martindale’s keen to hear. He still worries “everybody wants to express themselves off the field, instead of on it, and that’s a losing formula.”
Hamilton, Hendrickson and others, like All-Pros, cornerback Marlon Humphrey and inside linebacker Roquan Smith, need to win back hearts and minds. The only way they’ll do it is by making more plays and getting off the field on third down.
That means registering more sacks in pressure situations, not missing tackles in the clutch and communicating better on the back end.
Former Ravens Coach Rips Jesse Minter’s Defense