You may virtually see the smoke billowing from Mark Andrews’ nostrils.
Three days after the Ravens misplaced to the Cleveland Browns, failing to attain a landing for the primary time in 4 years, the All-Pro tight finish was requested if he nonetheless has religion within the crew’s offensive teaching employees, led by embattled coordinator Greg Roman.
“It’s never been a question,” he stated, his fierce gaze scanning facet to facet. “For us, there’s no question in this building what’s going on, that people in this building are doing everything they can to win games and be at their best and put us in the best situation. So, we have full trust, and again, this is going to be a fired-up group. This is too good of a team to take a game off or not to play our best.”
Roman reviewed each offensive snap of the Browns loss with each participant on his offense. “We got a chance to really dive into what exactly happened,” he stated of the candid assembly. “It’s clear as day what happened, and there’s some things we’ve got to clean up. I think everybody understands exactly what happened.”
We’ve all heard the statistics summarizing the depths to which Roman’s offense has sunk: The Ravens have scored simply 29 factors over their final three video games, haven’t thrown a landing cross to a large receiver since Week 3, have fallen to twenty eighth within the league in purple zone effectivity and have ranked twenty ninth in Football Outsiders’ passing DVOA since Week 3.
Their offensive roster is in tatters. Projected No. 1 huge receiver Rashod Bateman lasted simply six video games because of a Lisfranc damage to his foot. Fellow starter Devin Duvernay joined him on injured reserve Tuesday, additionally with a foot damage. The Ravens at the moment are counting on Demarcus Robinson, whom they signed after the Las Vegas Raiders discarded him in August; 36-year previous DeSean Jackson, who wasn’t enjoying for anybody once they signed him in October; and Sammy Watkins, whom they claimed off waivers Tuesday after the Green Bay Packers dropped him. It’s a trio lengthy on expertise however gentle on 2022 manufacturing.
And that’s burying the lede: The Ravens are nonetheless awaiting the return of franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has performed only one quarter during the last three video games due to a knee damage. Several experiences urged Jackson may resume his place on the controls for the Ravens’ Christmas Eve dwelling date with the Atlanta Falcons. But he didn’t apply Tuesday or Wednesday, casting doubt on his availability for Saturday.
If Jackson can’t go, Tyler Huntley, who’s averaging simply 5.6 yards per try (Jackson averaged 6.9) with no landing passes and two interceptions, would seemingly begin for the third week in a row, although he was restricted in apply Wednesday due to a proper shoulder damage. Rookie Anthony Brown could be the subsequent possibility.
As followers vacillated between anger and despair within the wake of Saturday’s 13-3 loss to the Browns, they saved their most vehement ire for Roman, a coach a lot of them needed to see changed after final season. The complaints had been acquainted: his passing offense falls aside because the 12 months goes on, but he selected to desert his profitable working assault within the fourth quarter in opposition to Cleveland.
“I usually wouldn’t get into it that early,” Roman stated Wednesday when requested why he went to pass-first mode with the Browns’ lead at 10. “We got more into a hurry-up mode, trying to change the tempo of things, trying to get things going in a different way. … We were moving it really well on the ground for sure. Could we have stayed into that mode a bit more? Probably. On Monday, it’s always easy to say that.”
Critics noticed this as a final straw, so their rage solely intensified when head coach John Harbaugh stood by his offensive employees in his information convention Monday whereas acknowledging that the Ravens should throw extra effectively.
“All of our coaches, including Greg and everybody else, are fully capable of understanding the pass game and what we’ve got to do to get it done and scheming it up and all that kind of stuff,” he stated. “We can do things a lot better, we can look at how much we’re calling, how much motion and stuff we put in, all the football-related X-and-O stuff, we’re definitely looking at really hard.”
When requested if he had thought of a training change, akin to his late-season change of offensive coordinators that helped fueled the Ravens’ 2012 championship run, Harbaugh stated: “No, we’re not getting into all that.”
Roman stated he’s a fan when watching different sports activities and appreciates the fervour even his critics carry to their curiosity within the Ravens. But that discourse has little to do with the trouble required to repair soccer issues, he added.
“It’s two different worlds,” Roman stated. “The first thing you’re told when you get into this profession is don’t listen to any of the noise. If you’re an offensive coordinator and you don’t think that’s going to happen in the NFL … it comes with the job. The second world is in the arena, where you really have to laser-beam focus on the task at hand. … It’s pretty simple, really. First-time coordinators, when I talk to them, it’s the first thing I tell them: ‘You can’t listen to anything other than doing your job.’”
“It doesn’t move me at all,” he stated when requested if he takes criticism personally.
Players lined up with Harbaugh, refusing to talk ailing of Roman or his employees when requested what’s unsuitable with the offense.
Robinson answered with a easy “yes” when requested if the Ravens have the plan and the expertise to rev up their manufacturing.
He has exceeded expectations by changing into the crew’s best huge receiver, however he fumbled twice in Cleveland. He doesn’t overlook dangerous video games like that one.
“We’re trying to move on to the next team,” Robinson stated. “You’ve definitely got to address the details and see what’s going on, what happened in the game and try to fix those details, to the best of our ability.”
Outside linebacker Tyus Bowser opened his session with reporters by apologizing for a social media submit that confirmed “Fire Greg Roman” flyers on the bottom outdoors the crew’s apply facility. “I have full, 100% respect for him, and I told him that,” Bowser stated of Roman. “I’ve got nothing but love and appreciation for what he does. It takes a lot of hard work to do what he does. Everybody in here respects him. I definitely respect him.”
Andrews, who has not reached 100 yards receiving or caught a landing cross since Week 6, was essentially the most emphatic.
“I don’t give a [crap], to be honest. I don’t give a [crap],” he stated of the criticism swarming across the offense and its coaches. “If someone wants to take that and use it as fuel, that’s fine. I have a chip on my shoulder either way.”
Week 16
Falcons at Ravens
Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV: Ch. 45
Radio: 97.9 FM, 101.5 FM, 1090 AM
Line: Ravens by 7 1/2
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Source: www.bostonherald.com