Jesse Minter wasn't happy with what he saw from the Baltimore Ravens' defense during the 35-13 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7, but Trey Hendrickson's having none of his head coach's claims about "effort."
All-Pro edge-rusher Hendrickson hit back at Minter's criticism with some pointed comments following the game at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, October 25. Hendrickson told reporters, including The Baltimore Sun's Josh Tolentino, "I can't speak for everybody else, but there is a standard to the way we should prepare, and nobody should be having these side conversations on the sidelines, if there is any."
The 32-year-old was more direct when he also said, "I can't answer for what [Jesse Minter is] saying, but I can say that I go out there with everything I've got every play and the will to win is not out of my lungs. Our standard for our defense has been set. It's now on us to elevate that to get to that level."
Hendrickson and the rest of the defense didn't meet the standard when they allowed 35 second-half points to his former team. The unit had Bengals' quarterback Joe Burrow hurried and harmed during the first half, but Hendrickson and Co. subsequently barely laid a glove on the signal-caller who threw four touchdown passes after the break.
Minter called out the lack of consistency with some strangely inconsistent comments about a defense guilty of the same weaknesses every week.
There are contradictory statements about what exactly Minter didn't like about the Ravens' defense this week. Tolentino's colleague Brian Wacker reported Minter calling the defensive performance in the second half, "a bad effort."
Meanwhile, The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer says, "Minter didn't have concerns with the Ravens' effort late. But he did have issues with their tackling. 'We certainly missed a bunch of plays.'"
The inconsistent messaging from a rookie head coach could explain one thing ailing Baltimore's defense. Perhaps Minter and defensive coordinator Antony Weaver aren't getting their ideas across clearly enough to Hendrickson and other key players.
Or perhaps Minter and his staff are simply being out-coached, the way a franchise great believes they were against the Bengals. The Ravens' AFC North rivals were certainly able to adjust to what had worked for Minter's defense during the first half.
Minter takes pride in his expertise on this side of the ball, but the former Los Angeles Chargers' defensive coordinator is struggling to correct a struggling group. His next efforts to solve the problem should focus on fixing the basics after the Ravens repeated elementary mistakes against Burrow's offense.
Things were clicking for Hendrickson and the rest of the defense during the opening two quarters. When the Ravens were getting to Burrow early and often.
Burrow was "hit three times on six dropbacks. He was visibly frustrated after K'Von Wallace 's hit. Wallace, Travis Jones and Nnadmi Madubuike with QB hits for Baltimore," per ESPN's Jamison Hensley .
Unfortunately, the pressure evaporated after halftime. Burrow began enjoying the freedom of clean pockets to find receivers running wide open too often.
The Ravens' secondary featured three first-round picks, safeties Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks , along with cornerback Nate Wiggins . Veteran All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey was also in the lineup, but the Bengals still amassed 292 yards through the air.
Baltimore's defense only sacked Burrow once. Hendrickson drew a blank, despite Minter promising a more creative rush plan . The four-time Pro Bowler can defend his effort, but Hendrickson can't duck how his inability to get to Burrow left the Ravens vulnerable to a familiar failing.
Cincy's offense converted six of 11 third downs to continue the Ravens' struggles on football's money down . Minter's tried to own this problem , but he'll expect his players to take responsibility for another issue.
Poor tackling doomed the Ravens during their second-half collapse. Like when Hamilton missed this tackle against Bengals' running back Samaje Perine at the goal-line.
Missed tackles have become contagious across the defense. The problem's been particularly pervasive during back-to-back defeats to division rivals when the Ravens held double-digit leads at halftime.
Tolentino showed how the Ravens missed 11 tackles during the 13-10 defeat to the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, then "Baltimore matches season-high 11 vs. Bengals, including 8 in 2H."
Hendrickson doesn't have to like Minter questioning his effort, but he and the rest of the Ravens' defense must own their lack of fundamentals and technique.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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