In their final meeting before every game, former Baltimore Ravens defensive line coach Anthony Weaver imparted a “winning thought” to his position group. He typically handled the responsibility, but occasionally he let other coaches speak. On the Saturday before the team’s Week 4 contest against the Cleveland Browns last season, Weaver tabbed assistant to the head coach/defensive assistant Megan Rosburg.
Rosburg spent a significant portion of her childhood in Cleveland where her father, Jerry, worked as the Browns’ special teams coordinator. It was a sentimental moment for her. But it was also nerve-wracking given she was in her second year as an NFL coach and had never addressed the D-line room. When she stood up in front of everyone, however, that anxiety translated to raw emotion.
“Every good story needs a villain!” Rosburg shouted.
As the Ravens defensive line dominated the Browns in a 28-3 rout the following day, that message became their rallying cry.
“All the guys on the sideline were repeating her line,” Weaver said recently. “That stuck with us for a while.”
Rosburg, now 31, is one of 12 full-time female coaches in the NFL. Seeing the players galvanize around her message affirmed to Rosburg that they respected her just like any other coach on…
