Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken says his job description is straightforward, however the course of is ever-changing.
The Ravens employed Monken on Feb. 14 to exchange Greg Roman, and final week was the primary probability to see him at work with a full roster through the staff’s three-day obligatory minicamp.
There are nonetheless questions on how Monken goes to rescue the offense’s passing sport, however there was little question about who ran the present this offseason.
The Ravens haven’t had an offensive coordinator as demanding and demonstrative since Gary Kubiak put up document numbers with the Ravens in 2014.
“I’ve always tried to bring a certain amount of energy, a certain amount of personality, a certain amount of juice to whatever I’m doing, ” said Monken, 57. “The bottom line is that you’re paid to do a job. Our job is to score points. So you fight like heck every day to put the pieces together and do it the best way you know how, but the players make you come to life on Sunday.”
It’s straightforward to match Monken to Roman, however that might be unfair to each. Roman’s specialty was constructing a robust operating offense round a operating quarterback in Lamar Jackson. The idea wasn’t simply Roman’s, however accredited by proprietor Steve Bisciotti, coach John Harbaugh and common supervisor Eric DeCosta.
It simply didn’t work out, so the Ravens employed Monken to place extra emphasis on the arm of Jackson and the passing sport. To assist, Baltimore signed extensive receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor throughout free company and took Zay Flowers within the first spherical of the NFL draft in late April.
But there are two main keys for the Ravens heading into the season, each involving Monken. He has to place all of the items collectively and faucet deeper into Jackson’s potential.
He hasn’t been round Jackson lengthy however observed one high quality above the others.
“He is very good at reading situations, reading people,” mentioned Monken. “He has a unique way of understanding people and what you’re trying to accomplish. You can tell by the questions being asked, and the way he goes about doing things. He’s embraced learning the system, and we’ve still got a ways to go.”
Much fuss has been made about Jackson with the ability to change performs on the line of scrimmage, however we’ve been by means of this earlier than. Those identical issues had been mentioned about former Ravens quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde and Joe Flacco earlier than their respective coordinators needed to “dummy” down their offenses.
Here are some higher causes for optimism:
The Ravens have quickened the tempo of getting out and in of the huddle, a significant requirement of Harbaugh’s this offseason. They will in all probability assault extra utilizing the no-huddle, which performs to Jackson’s potential to improvise.
The Ravens seem to have extra brief passes within the playbook but nonetheless can assault all the discipline with clearing routes and Jackson throwing to exterior the numbers.
There is often a fast throw possibility for Jackson, and his footwork in dropping again has extra design as an alternative of the usual five- or seven-step dropback. And get this … the Ravens even have screens.
“It’s hard to execute if you’re not adapting, if you’re not looking into what is cutting edge,” Monken mentioned. “What you’re at all times making an attempt to do is create a nightmare for the protection. The sport is ever-changing and it’s important to change with it. You’re both an excellent chief otherwise you’re not.
“As an offensive coordinator, you’re paid to score points. Some of the other things are just a piece of that — not that I’m against metrics or analytics; I’m not. I don’t mean it that way. I just mean it’s a lot simpler than that, and then trying to fit the pieces in the right spot.”
Monken has realized from a variety of coaches from his time at locations like LSU, Oklahoma State and Georgia and NFL stops in Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
He has labored underneath coaches akin to Kirby Smart, Mike Gundy, Jack Del Rio and Lou Holtz, and brought items from all of them, which inserts into the NFL mantra: ”If you ain’t dishonest, you ain’t making an attempt.”
Harbaugh has a variety of respect for Monken, simply as he did for Kubiak. When Kubiak was the coordinator, Harbaugh mainly relinquished half of the sector and stayed with the particular groups and defensive models a lot of the follow.
That’s the case once more with Monken barking out orders on specifics for nearly each play. He isn’t afraid to leap on a participant however may be refined, harsh or humorous relying on the scenario.
Monken has a southern attraction about him, an excellent outdated Bubba strategy much like that of Holtz or former Clemson coach Danny Ford. At this level, it’s but to be decided if he might be profitable, however at the least there’s hope.
He gained back-to-back nationwide championships at Georgia after the Bulldogs averaged practically 500 yards and 40 factors per sport final season. Can he stick with it within the NFL?
“I don’t see it as pressure,” mentioned Monken. “It’s just what we do. I wanted to be in Baltimore. It was going to take a special opportunity for me to leave Georgia, and this is a special opportunity. This is the ultimate challenge. If you have all the things in line aligned, you have a chance, and there is nothing like trying to do it against the best in the world.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com