There isn't a playbook for how George Warhop became the Ravens' offensive line coach.
Warhop is succeeding former offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris, a cherished member of the organization who passed away on Aug. 25. It would be a difficult situation for any coach to walk into, made even more challenging because it happened so close to the start of the regular season.
Head Coach John Harbaugh asked for Warhop's help, facing a set of circumstances that no one anticipated. Relying on his experience and instincts, the 62-year-old Warhop has accepted the responsibility, while leaning on the coaching staff and players to help each other move forward.
"First and foremost, the situation is tragic," Warhop said. "Joe and I were both in the World (Football) League together. I'm not saying we were close, close friends, but we were very good acquaintances. If he had a question, he'd call me. If I had a question, I'd call him, he'd call me back.
"The fact that John trusted me enough to call me … I'm grateful for that. The situation I walked into, what Joe had done here, made it feel very easy. The group is well-trained, they're very smart, they work their tails off, it's important to them. That's what he did before I got here. The whole deal is tough, we're just trying to make the best of it."
Warhop is coaching his own way, blending his approach with the foundation that D'Alessandris put in place. When he joined the Ravens on Aug. 14, Warhop had less than a month to get ready for Week 1, but from his first meeting with the players, he was direct about the approach he would take.
"I just said, 'Listen, I don't know what you guys are doing exactly,'" Warhop said. "I'm just going to listen as much as I can from a schematic standpoint. From a technique standpoint, I'm going to ask you do some different stuff.' That's pretty much how we approached it."
There were ups and downs for Baltimore's revamped offensive during the Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the effort and resiliency impressed Warhop. On his first NFL snap, rookie right tackle Roger Rosengarten was beaten by All-Pro Chris Jones for a sack-fumble, but Lamar Jackson wasn't sacked again and Rosengarten improved as the game progressed.
Ronnie Stanley felt he was being targeted when whistled for three illegal formation penalties, but he played strong game and kept battling. Warhop blamed himself for the illegal formation penalties but does not anticipate more issues when the Ravens face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2.
"I love the mentality in how we played. I thought they were physical. I thought they played the whole game – they never blinked – which gave us a chance at the end, to have a chance to take it into overtime," Warhop said. "Technically, we have to clean up some stuff. Those aren't big clean ups, it's just being consistent with footwork, being consistent with hand placement and straining to finish a little bit more."
Warhop has been an NFL offensive line coach since 1996, and the Ravens are his ninth NFL team. He's doing what he loves to do, although he never anticipated joining the Ravens' staff this season.
It's an usual situation and players and coaches think about D'Alessandris daily. Warhop's experience is serving him well, dealing with an offensive line that is coping with high expectations, football, and grief at the same time.
"You have to get guys ready to play, and the deal is that you have to win games," Warhop said. "In my opinion, for us to have a chance to win games, we have to be exceptional up front.
"The grief part of it, [for] anybody that's dealt with death – I've dealt with it in my family – everybody grieves differently. You just have to make yourself available to them when they're grieving."
Rosengarten has been impressed with Warhop's approach and can see why Harbaugh reached out to Warhop.
"Coach Hop has put his own flavor on things," Rosengarten said. "It's been a smooth transition, but not an easy one. He's done well."
