CHARLOTTE (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE) — “If you’re a dog, be a dog,” said Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald, whom the Panthers interviewed for its vacant head coaching job.
The team also interviewed MacDonald’s coworker in Baltimore, Todd Monken (the team’s current offensive coordinator).
“The organization and the team has helped put us in these type of situations with all these coaches and I think you understand what type of talented people that we have,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald has spent the majority of his coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens. He joined them as an intern back in 2014 and over the last decade served as the team’s defensive assistant, defensive backs coach and linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2022.
Coincidentally, MacDonald, who spent his entire NFL coaching career with John Harbaugh, spent the 2021 season with John’s brother Jim as the University of Michigan’s defensive coordinator.
“It’s a great experience for those guys,” John Harbaugh said. “I’m really proud of them. I think you go in there and be yourself and present who you are.”
The Ravens had the sixth-best defense in the NFL’s regular season this year. They also led the league in sacks, despite being outside of the top 15 in blitz and pressure percentage. Something Carolina might certainly be interested in after finishing dead last in sacks.
MacDonald can clearly lead a defense, but can he lead a whole team?
“He’s got a great plan in place every week and he’s open to criticism for sure, from us, you know, when we’re being a little bratty about stuff,” Ravens all-pro safety Kyle Hamilton said. “But he hear’s us when we’re talking to him and I think that’s a great quality to have.”
