Todd Monken explains why he left Georgia for Ravens’ OC job

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken left a great situation at Georgia. Why did he leave?

New Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken left a great situation at Georgia to return to the NFL. Monken helped Georgia win back-to-back national championships during his final two seasons in Athens.

Monken has previously served as an NFL offensive coordinator and will get another crack at it with the Ravens. Baltimore’s entire offense is in limbo this offseason. The Ravens rely heavily on quarterback Lamar Jackson for offensive production. However, Jackson is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason.

Todd Monken thinks that the Ravens have one of the best organizations in the NFL. He went on to say that he would only join an organization with similar success to Georgia. Additionally, Monken sees room for improvement in Baltimore’s offense, which is similar to how he felt when he began his career at Georgia in 2020.

Here’s what Monken’s full quote:

I think first is the challenge to do it against the best in the world. I think everybody aspires to have that challenge. If I was going to do it, it was going to be somewhere that was parallel to Georgia. Part of the reason I went to Georgia – one of the main reasons – was because of culture; head coach, winning, really good on defense, obviously trying to find a way to do it better on offense. So, I thought that was a parallel that I thought fit me. So, irrespective of who was or wasn’t going to be on the roster, I felt like it was something that I really wanted to do, and that I’ve always wanted to do. So, that doesn’t mean that I’m not grateful for Kirby Smart and the coaches that I worked with there. I get way too much credit for our success; I came in there, and the culture was already set, the players were already recruited. The staff that we put together was tremendous in terms of our success, but this was what was next. You can’t be two places at once; that’s just the way it is sometimes in life. That was a great job, and it was hard. You get close to the players, but you can’t be two places at once and this is what’s next.

Monken is thankful for his time in Georgia. He went out of his way to credit Georgia and Kirby Smart for having a good system in place and a lot of talented players.

Former Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean and his wife are part of the reason why Todd Monken was on the Ravens’ radar. Tom Crean’s wife, Joani, is the sister of Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. She is also friends with Todd Monken.

Kirby Smart and Georgia hired Mike Bobo as the program’s new offensive coordinator. Bobo served as an offensive analyst for Georgia in 2022 and is replacing Monken in Athens.

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Baltimore Ravens workout former UGA football RB

Baltimore Ravens workout former UGA football RB Elijah Holyfield following several injuries at the position

Baltimore Ravens are working out former Georgia football running back Elijah Holyfield. The Ravens desperately need help at running back. Baltimore’s Justice Hill just tore his Achilles. The Ravens are already without starting running back J.K. Dobbins, who tore his ACL and is out for the season.

Baltimore is additionally working out NFL veterans Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman. The current projected starting back for the Ravens is Gus Edwards.

The Ravens previously worked out former Georgia Bulldog Todd Gurley this summer.

The Philadelphia Eagles cut Elijah Holyfield on Aug. 29 ahead of the NFL roster cut deadline. The former Georgia Bulldogs running back spent time with their practice squad last season and appeared on their active roster.

Holyfield played college football for three seasons at the University of Georgia. Holyfield went undrafted in the 2019 NFL Draft and signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers. He made the Panthers practice squad in 2019 and then later signed with the Eagles.

Elijah Holyfield is the son of legendary boxer Evander Holyfield. He’s still looking to carve out a significant NFL career.

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Former Georgia OL Ben Cleveland explains why he eats squirrels

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Ben Cleveland explains his “squirrel diet” to the Baltimore Ravens media.

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive lineman Ben Cleveland was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft. Now, Ben Cleveland is already explaining his “squirrel diet” to the Baltimore Ravens media.

The former Georgia lineman makes it clear that he prefers deer meat, but if there’s none of that left, then fried squirrel begins to find its way on to his menu. That’s one way to survive the winter. Ben Cleveland may be looking for a few hunting spots around Baltimore if he hasn’t found any yet.

His quote in this interview is legendary stuff:

Cleveland’s full quote about his squirrel diet is:

I don’t know if it was a specific (squirrel) diet. It’s more so one of those things where you eat what you got in the freezer from the fall. So had a few squirrels freeze-dried in there. So get a little hungry, ain’t got no deer meat left, fry up a squirrel or two and just go eat that.

Ben Cleveland will give the Baltimore Ravens toughness, strength, and power along the interior of their offensive line. Cleveland is one of the more interesting offensive linemen in the NFL. His physique and athleticism combination is impressive and he has lots of big game experience from his days at Georgia.

Ben Cleveland will be fun to watch over the years, unless, of course, if you are a squirrel.