According to Jamison Hensley on the Sun’s website Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison is leaving to take the same position at the University of Michigan.  Secondary coach Chuck Pagano has been promoted to take Mattison’s place.  Pagano has been the Ravens secondary coach since 2008.

Many Ravens fans have campaigned for Mattison’s removal, despite the fact that he guided the Ravens to top 10 finishes in overall defensive rankings during his 2 seasons as the Ravens defensive coordinator.  The top 10 finishes can be seen as a lowering of standards for defense in Baltimore, but you could also argue that Mattison has as little defensive talent to work with since the 2003 season.  Critics felt Mattison was not as aggressive or as unpredictable as his predecessor, Rex Ryan.  Declining sack and turnover totals would lend credence to that argument.  In 2010 Mattison’s defense also struggled to protect 4th quarter leads despite it’s high overall ranking.  The question that will likely go unanswered was whether Mattison made the move because he saw the writing on the wall that he would be replaced this off-season, or if he truly felt like he could not pass up the chance to try and restore a declining Michigan program.

Pagano is obviously familiar with the Ravens defensive personnel and is well respected by the players.  He has not been a defensive coordinator since the early nineties, when he held the position at UNLV.  An interesting note about Pagano is that he served as the secondary coach in Oakland before joining the Ravens.  Could his relationship with soon to be released Raider’s CB Nnamdi Asomugha aid the Ravens should they pursue him in free agency?

What are your thoughts on Mattison leaving, or on the promotion of Pagano?