The Ravens continued meeting with Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett Tuesday to kick off the second round of interviews for their open head coaching position.
Garrett was the first candidate to sit down with team officials twice on a list that includes Dallas assistant coach Tony Sparano, Indianapolis Colts quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach John Harbaugh.
At the end of the day, Garrett came away from team headquarters in Owings Mills, Md. impressed.
"It was a great day," he said in a brief meeting with media before heading to the airport. "I had a chance to start this process last week during our bye week and had a great visit up here then. I was excited to come back and visit again."
According to media reports, the Ravens are still looking to bring in Caldwell, Harbaugh Schottenheimer and veteran coach Marty Schottenheimer (Brian's father) for interviews.
"It's the start of our second round; [Garrett was] the first one in for the second round," said Ravens senior vice president of public and community relations Kevin Byrne. "We have more interviews in the second round coming up later in the week."
Garrett, 41, could bring a unique perspective to the Ravens' coaching team. Despite only three years of coaching experience, Garrett has put together a resume based on an extensive playing career and a Dallas offense that was red-hot for most of the 2007 campaign.
A 12-year reserve quarterback, Garrett played for the Cowboys (1993-99), New York Giants (2000-03), Tampa Bay (2004) and Miami (2004). He then joined the Dolphins' staff as quarterbacks coach for two seasons.
This past season, his first and only year as a coordinator, Dallas finished third in the NFL in total offense, a juggernaut that averaged 365.7 yards and 28.4 points per game. Garrett helped produce seven Pro Bowlers on the Tony Romo-led unit, but over the final four games of the season, the Cowboys could only muster 10.5 points.
His solid play-calling led Hall of Fame quarterback and FOX analyst Troy Aikman, whom Garrett backed up on two Super Bowl-winning teams Dallas squads, to constantly lobby for his former teammate's head coaching chances on broadcasts this year.
Coming into the interview process, Garrett already had many connections to the Ravens. The Princeton graduate shares an alma mater with president Dick Cass. The former Ivy League Player of the Year is also the son of Jim Garrett, who coached Ravens vice president of football administration Pat Moriarty with the Cleveland Browns, a team that also featured Hall of Fame tight end - and current Ravens general manager - Ozzie Newsome.
Garrett first arrived in Baltimore Monday, two days after his Cowboys were upset by the Giants in a 21-17 playoff loss. Media outlets immediately speculated that the coordinator was the front-runner for the Ravens' vacancy upon the divisional game's outcome.
The Garretts visited with owner Steve Bisciotti, Cass, Newsome and their families Monday evening, and Cass was seen giving a tour of the practice facility to Garrett's wife
"It's been an exciting time for me to be here, be around this organization," Garret said. "I heard nothing but great things about it prior to coming here, and everything that I've seen since I've been here has been really off the charts."
The Ravens are not expected to interview anyone else Wednesday because Newsome will be attending a mid-week practice for the East-West Shrine Game in Houston.
