A Crumbling Locker Room Without Toys

The vibe that surrounds the Ravens these days is anything but good. Heading into the bye week, most believed that the Ravens would spend the time healing, self-scouting, and wrapping their minds around the challenges ahead, one game at a time.

A record of (1-5) doesn’t fuel optimism. But when your team plays in arguably the NFL’s worst division and the division leader, one that collapsed in 2024, sits atop the AFC North with a (4-1) record and you still get to play them twice, there’s a chance. It might only be slightly better than Lloyd Christmas’ chance to score Mary in Dumb & Dumber, but the possibility remains that the Ravens could still threaten for the divisional title.

Despite their record, you might think the Ravens would emerge from the bye rested and sporting a new attitude. But if you read the body language of John Harbaugh and listen to the weariness in his voice, his persona is that of a beaten man.

“I feel great about what we accomplished.” Harbs on the biggest takeaways from the bye week pic.twitter.com/JugL2tfJT5

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 20, 2025

Maybe Lamar Jackson’s absence from practice yesterday sullied Harbaugh’s demeanor. Maybe he’s having flashbacks from 2022 when Lamar missed the last 5 games of the regular season and teammates questioned his commitment, specifically Marcus Peters. Maybe even some are questioning Lamar again.

We’ve heard Lamar champion the idea of solidarity within the team’s rank and file. Yet he doesn’t post for a single session during the offseason; was a no-show at the voluntary workouts; has done next to nothing to work out an extension to lift the extreme burden his numbers have on the salary cap. Then, after a very solid start to the season, he struggles against his kryptonite, aka the Kansas City Chiefs. And then suddenly he’s hurt. Like a fart in the wind, he vanishes.

Ok, so he can’t practice, but there are still some things that he can do to at least show that he cares. For instance, how about showing up for practices to encourage teammates, even if he can’t participate? Or maybe stand beside offensive coordinator Todd Monken and provide some feedback from a player perspective? Would it hurt to interact with the media to express optimism to a fanbase that has been crushed by obliterated expectations?

What about during game days, maybe interacting with Cooper Rush or Tyler Huntley while on the sidelines instead of sitting on the bench carrying on with a couple of teammates while the rest of the team is having their asses handed to them by a (1-3) Texans team?

If the Ravens had real leaders on their team, they would approach Lamar and have this very conversation with him. They’d ask why he isn’t taking on more of a leadership role. He is the face of the franchise. The organization has built the team around him. When he wanted OBJ back in 2023, they got him. When he wanted a workhorse running back, they signed Derrick Henry. When he wanted another of his boys here in Baltimore, DeAndre Hopkins, Eric DeCosta got him. Same for Jaire Alexander who through 6 games has been on the field for just 61 snaps.

The organization has completely kowtowed to their quarterback and as I’ve written in the past, he has them by the short hairs. They’ll have cap issues unless he signs an extension and if they can’t come to terms, the team cannot franchise Lamar when his current deal matures following the 2027 season. Then he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

So, during yesterday’s practice, no Lamar.

No wonder John Harbaugh seemed like a beaten man.

Maybe he is.

The Sun Doesn’t Shine

The Sun’s beat writers Brian Wacker, Josh Tolentino, Sam Cohn and Sam Jane collaborated on a piece that was posted on October 20, 2025, titled, What’s wrong with the Ravens? Inside a Super Bowl favorite’s stunning slide. It paints a rather bleak picture of a locker room that at best seems confused and at its worst, soft.

A Ravens vet who spoke on the condition of anonymity shared the following:

“It was that Bills game that put a beating on us mentally where it felt like everything was ending, even though it was the first game. When we have so much time to recover, such a long season, and we let that carry over.”

Hopefully said anonymous player doesn’t speak for the entire team because if he does, the Baltimore Ravens are soft. These are the characteristics of a weak-minded team devoid of leaders.

Another of the whispering players secretively explained:

“[The offense] just feels different. I just don’t feel like guys are being put in positions to succeed with this offense.”

When asked to clarify, said whisperer added:

“It’s freakin’ Lamar Jackson; how can you not find ways to have success with him? But I’m pretty sure if you put Patrick Mahomes out there for us right now, the same things would be happening.”

Another veteran offensive player chimed in:

“Three years ago, we had a new OC, new DC. Teams didn’t have any film on us. Now, they’ve seen everything that we’ve done, so we have to be more creative and put guys in spaces [to succeed].”

There’s nothing in the piece that points the finger of blame towards the Ravens head coach or GM, both of whom have had horrific seasons to date. There’s no criticism directed at Zach Orr who apparently has forgotten all that we hoped he had learned about calling plays, dialing up simulated pressures and the importance of physical play from the departed DC Mike Macdonald.

The article feels like a hit piece aimed at Todd Monken, the only coach that Harbaugh has publicly criticized.

Monken deserves some criticism for sure. But this hatchet job fails to mention that before Lamar’s injury, the offense was a league leader in most categories. And let’s not forget the precipitous drop off in talent going from Lamar to Rush or Huntley. Those two unimpressive QBs throw it out of bounds on fourth down! You can’t even make this shit up!

But suddenly, thanks to these clandestine conversations with offensive players, we are to believe it’s all Monken’s fault?

What about the sieve of an offensive line that DeCosta ignored? What about the pass rush that appears to operate in quicksand? Is that Monken’s fault too? What about the head coach who during a game’s most critical moments looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

And here’s the saddest part of the article. According to its collaborators, upon returning from the embarrassing 37-20 loss at Arrowhead Stadium, someone ordered the Code Red (staying with the Jack Nicholson theme) which for the Ravens meant removing a basketball hoop, ping pong table, cornhole boards and video game consoles from the locker room.

In other words, the team was punished. All their toys were taken away.

These guys are supposed to be professionals, and someone (presumably Harbaugh but who knows for sure) felt compelled to treat the players like children? That’s either an indictment against the players, management or the coaching staff, but either way it’s not good! What’s next, a timeout chair? A calm corner?

I’m not denying that the Ravens have some locker room issues to deal with. But this article from The Sun feels like a reach. The writers claim that 25 people in the Ravens organization helped them compile this hot mess? If so, the article should have had more substance, particularly if they’re trying to reclaim lost subscribers.

Maybe the collaborators should have their toys taken away too!

The post A Crumbling Locker Room Without Toys appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2025/10/21/tltakes/ravens-locker-room/