In a week when changes were made to their coaching staff, the Ravens still have one more hire to make - and it could be the most important one of the offseason.
The Ravens need to find a new quarterbacks coach after Hue Jackson agreed to become the Oakland Raiders' offensive coordinator Tuesday. The team is expected to look at Jim Zorn and Al Saunders for a position that will be key in the development of second-year quarterback Joe Flacco.
Zorn, 56, who was fired as the Washington Redskins' head coach after two last-place finishes, has expressed interest in the Ravens job, a league source said. He was an NFL quarterback for 11 seasons and worked as a quarterbacks coach for two teams. Zorn helped tutor young quarterbacks such as the Detroit Lions' Charlie Batch (in 1998-2000) and the Seattle Seahawks' Matt Hasselbeck (2001-2007).
Saunders, 62, who was the Ravens' offensive consultant this season, is a renowned offensive mind who has coached in the NFL for 27 seasons as either an assistant head coach, an offensive coordinator or wide receivers coach. He has been the play-caller for some of the best offenses of the past decade, but he has never been a quarterbacks coach.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh wasn't in the mood to discuss the team's coaching search Tuesday at the Senior Bowl.
With helping Flacco take another step being paramount, Harbaugh was asked how he would replace Jackson. "I'm not going to get into that," he said.
Asked whether it's important to find someone who can help Flacco's growth, Harbaugh said, "I'm not going there."
Jackson has been Flacco's only quarterbacks coach since the Ravens drafted him out of Delaware in 2008. He spent more time with Flacco than any other coach.
Under Jackson, Flacco has had the fifth-most productive first two seasons in NFL history, with 6,584 yards, behind Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Drew Bledsoe and Jeff Garcia.
"It's going to be hard to leave here," Jackson told the Ravens' Web site. "Knowing what Joe [Flacco] is going to become is one of the hard parts about it. But the challenge with going to the Oakland Raiders and helping them become what they want to become is exciting. That's what you look for. I want to run to the challenge."
Jackson described his relationship with Flacco as "special."
"I wouldn't expect anything less than greatness from him," Jackson said. "They're going to win a lot of games with not only the head coach, but with the players here, and Joe heads that up."
Meanwhile, the Ravens officially announced that they hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Dean Pees as their linebackers coach. Pees replaces Vic Fangio, who was not retained after one season in that role.
In four seasons with Pees as coordinator, the Patriots' defense always ranked among the stingiest, never giving up more than 20 points per game in any season. Pees, 60, chose not to return to New England after his contract expired Jan. 14.
"I've known Dean for 27 years, and he's our type of coach - energetic, hard-working and innovative," Harbaugh said. "He has worked with all three levels of defense - defensive line, linebackers and secondary. His experience and wealth of knowledge speak for themselves. Dean has also earned respect from his players and fellow coaches because he has been a coordinator. He'll help our linebackers complement the guys up front and in the back end. He'll fit in with us well, and we're excited to get him."
Pees has an interesting connection with Harbaugh. In 1983, he was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Miami of Ohio, where Harbaugh played defensive back.
"He was the one coach who thought I could play," Harbaugh said.
After parting ways with the Patriots, Pees reportedly had been a candidate to become the defensive coordinator in Denver and Buffalo.
"It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of an organization like the Ravens," Pees said. "I think this is a tremendous opportunity and something that my family and I are very excited about. I can't wait to get to work."
Notes: : Ravens safety Ed Reed dodged retirement questions in a Saturday interview on Sirius Radio. "It's still early in the offseason," he said in response to whether he was still "50-50" to return. "The comment was made right after the game because that's the truth of the matter. I've got some things I got to take care of before I continue to go there. But the comment hasn't changed; it still is what it is." The Ravens are still expecting Reed to return. ... Buffalo Bills free safety Donte Whitner is lobbying his team to trade for Ravens backup quarterback Troy Smith. Whitner, who played with Smith at Ohio State, posted on his Twitter account Tuesday: "I think we should get Troy Smith to be our QB, please!" and "Troy is a proven winner and leader!" Smith's agent requested a trade earlier this month.
The Chicago Tribune contributed to this article.