Baltimore Ravens fans, Kay Adams wants you to hear her out.
As the Ravens franchise begins its search for a new head coach for the first time in nearly two full decades, following the unexpected firing of John Harbaugh after a Week 18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers cost them a spot in the postseason, Adams has a left-of-center idea that would bring a defensive legend to the team—just not one that most people are talking about.
On a recent episode of her show Up & Adams, the host brought up the idea of Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as a head coaching choice. Even from the start, she knows it's going to be a stretch for some Ravens fans, so she begins with an admission that Spags isn't a guy on the radar for most.
"Steve Spagnuolo’s resume. I know this isn’t the first name that comes to mind, but you cannot tell me that this is not the best defensive coordinator, like, of all time. Who’s better as a defensive coordinator?
"He’s loved, beloved. Him, his wife, his whole vibe. I met him back in St. Louis at the Edward Jones Dome, the elephant graveyard of NFL stadiums, like in 2011. Everybody loved him. Wasn’t successful, maybe, as a head coach—maybe. I shouldn’t be bringing that up. But he’s revered, respected. If you want somebody to get this talented defense going that you have in Baltimore—invite Ravens fans tweeting here right now—you guys want a defensive mentor-y guy? No, Spavs is the guy you guys should be going for."
Kay Adams makes a compelling, unconventional case for Steve Spagnuolo as the Baltimore Ravens’ next head coach.
From there, Adams goes into his sustained success in Kansas City, which includes near-annual trips to the Super Bowl, by the way.
"Kansas City has had a top-10 defense six of his seven seasons with the Chiefs. He was wild. If you look at it yesterday, too, we had the level of consistency that he’s done it at with one starter who’s been there his entire tenure. It’s crazy. Chris Jones is the only guy who’s been there the whole time. The other ten dudes—changing, flipping around. Like this group still somehow sixth-best scoring defense this year with all of the drama and the lackluster stuff that’s happened."
From there, Adams shifts to an intriguing argument that involves the Ravens best player: Lamar Jackson. Who better to hire than someone with the power to stop someone no other franchise can seem to contain?
"From an offensive perspective, I’m going to put it this way: who is the only person on earth who has consistently stopped, stifled, maybe slowed down Lamar Jackson? It’s him. Look at these numbers. You can not only get Spags away from KC and not have to deal with him, and you can also use his knowledge to help Lamar and this offense grow. This is solving a bunch of problems is what I’m trying to say. And you have to think every top young offensive candidate is banging down the door for a chance to join that staff, right? Oh, like I said, work with Lamar. That is sexy. Let’s go do that."
While Spagnuolo might seem like an odd choice for some Ravens fans with their eyes on other candidates, that's not the way the league views him. Spagnuolo is already scheduled to speak with the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans about their head coach openings as well. Spags is very familiar with the former after spending several seasons on the sidelines as a coach and coordinator. In Tennessee, he has a longstanding relationship with Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi.
With only six head coaching openings at the present time, it's hard to tell whether or not Spagnuolo will have a chair available for him when the music stops. But everyone should be taking him very seriously as a candidate nonetheless, even in Baltimore.