Tag: Greg Roman

4 NFL coaching candidates teams should avoid: Is Robert Saleh just Gus Bradley 2.0?

Robert Saleh will be a hot name this offseason. Here’s why he shouldn’t be.

Black Monday has taken its toll on the NFL coaching landscape, and the dust hadn’t even settled yet before rumors linking candidates to jobs started flying. The Redskins didn’t waste any time and have reportedly picked Ron Rivera as their next coach.

Things are moving fast! It’s time to get some takes off.

It’s always hard to judge these candidates, especially if they’ve never held NFL coaching jobs before. But that won’t stop me from doing so anyway. Here are four popular coaching candidates that I’d stay away from if I were hiring a new coach this offseason.

1. Matt Rhule, Baylor head coach

Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

I’m not going to lie: I didn’t know much about Rhule’s coaching philosophy before his name started popping up in these coaching searches, which forced me to do some research. And this quote, in particular, raised some major red flags:

“Run pass option has been my deal with the devil,” he said, via Football Scoop. “We won a couple games, but it wasn’t played the way I wanted it to be played. I want the game to look a certain way, with a certain brand. Run pass option has been a bridge for me a way to win. We want to be tough. We believe in full gear, weightlifting, the Oklahoma drill. All the people tell us to be careful about doing, I believe that’s exactly what we need to do.”

Now, Rhule does deserve some credit for being willing to adjust and employing more spread concepts but ignoring the benefits of this schematic shift and wanting to get back to his own “brand” of football because that’s how he thinks the sport should be played is. well, troubling. That’s not how great coaches think.

He’s been successful everywhere he’s been — most recently at Baylor, where he inherited a program in shambles — but building up a mid-level college football team doesn’t necessarily require the same skill-set as building up an NFL team. Maybe Rhule turns out to be Jim Harbaugh, who shared a similar offensive philosophy, but we saw how quickly things went south after the 49ers started losing talent.

2. Robert Saleh, 49ers defensive coordinator

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The track record for defensive coaches from the Pete Carroll tree is not very good. Dan Quinn is the closest thing we have to a success story, and it was the Falcons offense that drove his most successful teams. That doesn’t bode well for Saleh.

Based on his three years in San Francisco, Saleh appears to be a non-factor as a coach. He won’t actively hurt your team; but he won’t make it any better, either. When the 49ers defense lacked talent, it ranked in the bottom third of the league. In 2019, the roster is loaded and Saleh has turned in good results. But he won’t be bringing all that talent along with him to his new coaching job, so it’d be foolish to expect him to replicate those results.

Saleh gives me some serious Gus Bradley vibes. Bradley worked under Carroll in Seattle and was seen as a motivator. The Jaguars hired him to recreate Seattle’s defense and build a similar culture in Jacksonville. The result was one of the worst coaching jobs in NFL history. Will another team make the same mistake?

3. Mike McCarthy, former Packers head coach

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Network recently did a feature on McCarthy, who has apparently spent this sabbatical studying new offensive schemes and diving headfirst into analytics.

Yeah, I’m not buying the “changed man” routine. McCarthy was one of the more conservative coaches in the league during his time in Green Bay and his offense hadn’t evolved since the mid-2000s. It’s easy to talk about how you’re going to be bold, but in the heat of the moment, people typically revert back to what makes them most comfortable. For McCarthy, that’s calling a million slant-flat route combinations per game and punting on every fourth-and-short.

While I do think McCarthy is capable of taking a good roster and turning it into a playoff team, that’s not necessarily what those ready-to-win teams are looking for. They want a coach who can get them over the hump and into Super Bowl contention. I don’t think McCarthy is that guy.

4. Greg Roman, Ravens offensive coordinator

Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

I know, I know. The Ravens have the league’s best offense. It’s also fun as hell to watch. But I just don’t know how efficient Roman’s run-first approach is when you don’t have one of the best offensive lines in football and/or Lamar Jackson orchestrating things from behind center.

This is the first season of Roman’s career as a play-caller that he’ll finish with a top-10 scoring offense. After a good start in San Francisco, his offenses declined every season from 2012 to 2014 when he was fired. He coached the Bills offense to a good finish in 2015, but he was fired in September the following season and the offense didn’t regress under Anthony Lynn. While those Bills and 49ers teams could always run the ball, Roman’s passing game left a lot to be desired. And if you don’t have Lamar running behind an elite offensive line, can you really rely on a running game to carry your offense? Not in this economy.

If Roman was willing to take John Harbaugh’s aggressive, analytics-based philosophies with him to his new team, I’d be much more optimistic, but we don’t know if that’s the case. And I don’t know if this Lamar-centric scheme is enough to get me excited about Roman’s prospects as a head coach.

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Report: Browns request interview with Ravens OC Greg Roman for head coach job

The Cleveland Browns are showing some initial interest in Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman after his prolific season.

The Cleveland Browns are once again on the hunt for a new head coach. Cleveland fired coach Freddie Kitchens following the team’s Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. It had been a disappointing season for the Browns, who had playoff aspirations on the back of an expensive offseason that saw the team add star players like wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

With another offseason without a coach in place, Cleveland has turned their attention to the Baltimore Ravens’ coaching staff. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns have requested permission to interview offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Roman is a solid option for Cleveland, who has a wealth of offensive talent but wasn’t able to translate that into points. The Browns finished the season at 6-10 and ranked 22nd in the league in both points scored and total yards gained while seeing quarterback Baker Mayfield take a giant step backward in his development.

If Cleveland is looking for an offensive mind who has gotten results, they’d have it in Roman. Roman crafted a unique scheme around quarterback Lamar Jackson and a tough rushing attack that broke a 41-year old NFL record for single-season rushing yards and ranks No. 1 in the league in points scored (531).

Last week, Roman told reporters his focus was on the Ravens and the playoffs rather than head coaching vacancies. And with Baltimore holding the top seed in the AFC and currently the favorites to win Super Bowl LIV, it’ll be interesting to see if Roman shows some interest in the Cleveland job and if the Ravens would even allow him to leave for a division rival.

Of course, there’s no guarantee the Browns would even choose Roman for their top spot. They’ve also shown interest in several other candidates, including San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

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Ravens OC Greg Roman focused on Ravens, not other head-coaching jobs

Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman says he has too much to do to focus on potential head-coaching gigs

The Baltimore Ravens sit at 13-2 and look to be the best team in the league, largely thanks to their prolific offense. It’s a unit that has utilized quarterback Lamar Jackson to his fullest — making him the frontrunner for the NFL’s MVP award — and a rushing attack that has eyes on an NFL record in Week 17. So it should come as no surprise that the guy responsible for the scheme is considered a hot head-coaching candidate already.

Ahead of the final regular-season game of 2019 and with several teams really beginning their search for their next coach, Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman fielded questions about his future with the team.

Roman essentially deflected, focusing on the task at hand and his current job, rather than adding fuel to the kindling rumor fire.

As much as I’d love Roman to stick around for another year, the Ravens don’t really have a good track record of keeping any coordinators who’ve been rumored targets for head coaching jobs, let alone offensive ones.

The last time the Ravens had a stellar season offensively, spurred by one of the best performances a quarterback wearing black and purple has had, that coordinator promptly fled to Denver where he won a Super Bowl. I’m, of course, speaking of Gary Kubiak, whose playcalling and stewardship of the offense led to Joe Flacco’s best season (statistically) as well as a playoff berth and run.

Overall, we’ve seen some of Baltimore’s best coordinators depart for greener pastures (i.e. lucrative head coaching roles) after some of the team’s best seasons. Aside from Kubiak, Jim Caldwell left for Detroit after helping the Ravens offense win Super Bowl XLVII. On the defensive side of the ball, Marvin Lewis, Rex Ryan, and Chuck Pagano all left for head coaching roles after noteworthy seasons.

So if history is any indicator, the likelihood of Roman remaining with the Ravens after Lamar Jackson’s performance this season, and subsequently one of Baltimore’s best seasons offensively, is pretty slim.

But there may be an x-factor here which keeps Roman in Baltimore. The Ravens’ offense is unlike anything this league has seen or even capable of being run by any other team right now. It’s plausible that other teams shy away from Roman while they try to work with prior draft picks and existing players that don’t fit the scheme that has developed in Baltimore.

Now, that might change as teams try to capture their own magic by copying the Ravens’ formula this season. It’s possible that owners and general managers see Roman as a catalyst that could spark some new creativity for teams that are looking for a rebuild and rebrand of sorts.

Either way, the Ravens have proven one thing this year: Doing things differently, taking risks and unconventional approaches can take the league by storm. The team currently has the best record in the NFL, home-field advantage in the playoffs and the best odds to win the Super Bowl.

Unfortunately, those factors undoubtedly make Roman a worthy target as opponents look to be the next Ravens . . . if it’s even possible.

What happens after the season is anyone’s guess, but Baltimore’s brass should do whatever they can to keep this unprecedented momentum moving forward.

Honestly, fans can only hope that Roman chooses to stay with the Ravens, especially with the prospect of being able to recapture and even build upon what this team has accomplished this season… if it’s even possible. Keeping Roman gives them as good a chance as any to make the possible a reality.

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Ravens only 93 yards away from setting NFL record for rushing yards

The Baltimore Ravens need to get just 93 rushing yards in Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers to break a 41-year old NFL record

If you’ve been following the Baltimore Ravens this season and watching their offense, you’ve seen something special. It can be easy to forget during individual games but Baltimore’s offense has been prolific this season, especially on the ground.

In a league that has prioritized high-flying offenses led by quarterbacks with a ton of passing yards, Baltimore has been doing things a little differently. They’ve bullied opponents on the ground and seen their unconventional offense wrack up the yards and time-of-possession as a result.

Entering Week 17 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens have rushed for 3,073 yards. That’s just 92 yards short of the 1978 New England Patriots’ 3,165 yards, which is an NFL record.

With the record within sight, offensive coordinator Greg Roman put the praise on the players themselves.

“That would be quite an accomplishment for our guys,” Roman said. “They’ve worked hard, starting in OTAs, and we don’t make it easy on them.”

While quarterback Lamar Jackson has deservedly gotten most of the praise for his MVP-caliber season, the entire offense has eaten opposing run defenses for lunch.

Running back Mark Ingram broke the 1,000-yard mark in Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns before suffering a calf injury that’ll keep him out until at least the playoffs. His 10 rushing touchdowns rank seventh in the league.

Jackson actually leads the Ravens in rushing yards, breaking Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record in Week 15 and finishing the regular season at 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He’s the only player to ever throw for at least 3,000 yards and run for at least 1,000 in the NFL’s history.

But don’t forget about Gus Edwards, who has been spectacular in a reserve role, hitting 5.2 yards-per-carry and sitting at 581 rushing yards this season. Justice Hill has been no slouch either, adding 186 rushing yards in his rookie campaign and getting his very first rushing touchdown last week.

Baltimore will sit several starters this week, including Jackson and Ingram. It could slow down the Ravens’ prolific rushing offense and put the record at risk. With Baltimore grinding for 138 net rushing yards in Week 5’s game against the Steelers, this will be a big test for Edwards and Hill specifically.

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Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson spearhead QB change in NFL

Teams will look differently at how players such as Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson will be examined in the future.

The Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen and the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson are leading the charge for change among NFL quarterbacks. The duo will be on display on the same field Sunday afternoon at New Era Field when the Baltimore Ravens (10-2) travel to face the Buffalo Bills (9-3).

The league has been trending toward mobile quarterbacks for some time now. However, the league has not seen a tandem such as Allen and Jackson for decades. 

Both players showed their undeniable talent during their time in college. Jackson’s penchant for making electric plays and Allen’s sheer arm strength put them on the map for the 2018 draft. 

However, there were concerns about the players making the jump to the NFL level. They didn’t necessarily fit the traditional mold of what franchise quarterback should reflect. Jackson was so athletic that there were calls that he should switch positions. Allen faced criticisms with his accuracy while playing for a program where little few people saw him on display. 

Nevertheless, it took the ideal situation and some forward-thinking of certain NFL organizations to see the long-term benefit of each player. The leadership in Baltimore and Buffalo saw the high ceiling of the players and were not afraid of being patient with their respective players’ development. 

They went outside the box, and it’s paying off. They focused on what lanes these players special and altered their systems for the players. They created a new paradigm.

Both franchises went deep into the numbers and statistics to see how to best make these players successful. 

Baltimore and Buffalo looked at the weaknesses of the players and found ways to mitigate these while simultaneously giving the players time to grow and develop. Jackson and Allen were thrust into their starting roles earlier than expected. Jackson took over for an injured Joe Flacco while Allen was given the starting gig with Nathan Peterman’s ineffectiveness.

The franchises knew mistakes would be made, but the rewards are potentially infinite. The patience they have exhibited with these players has been quite impressive. 

Because of this, both players would not relinquish the starting jobs.

Baltimore and Buffalo both recognized the special qualities of these players. It was of the utmost importance to pair the players with coordinators who would bring out the best in these players. Enter the Ravens’ Greg Roman and the Bills Brian Daboll. 

Roman found success with the 49ers, as he helped guide the offense under Colin Kaepernick. And with Jackson’s skill set similar to Jackson, the hire made sense. 

Daboll, for his part, was able to produce adequate results from a bunch of C-level quarterbacks in the past. His creativeness and adaptability would be the biggest assets that he brought to Western New York. In addition, Allen would be the most talented quarterback with whom Daboll as worked as a coordinator.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Both quarterbacks are still growing within their game. Both players have improved their accuracy and decision-making throughout their second season in the league. Jackson is on the verge of a 1,000-yard rushing season, while Allen is the fourth quarterback since the 1970 merger to have multiple seasons with at least eight rushing touchdowns. They have cut down on turnovers on turnovers while improving their efficiency. 

Both players have placed their teams in a near-ideal spot for earning a playoff berth. 

Not a believer? The combined 19 wins with the two at the helm of their respective offenses shows differently. 

The league is taking notice as well. The athletic ability of Jackson is well-noted. However, the combination of his ability to cause chaos when he runs plus an improvement with his pass game has made him nearly unstoppable when he’s under center.  And while Allen might not have the speed of Jackson, teams must worry when he breaks the pocket. Whether he is hurdling a defender or diving for a first down, Allen’s improvisational skills have put defenses on their heels.  

For both, placing a spy on the quarterback has not been enough to limit the success of these quarterbacks. Teams who have failed to appreciate the dual-threat abilities of theses quarterbacks have not done so to their detriment. 

With the success of these two players, the league will do well to shift how they evaluate the long-term viability of players such as these two when entering the league. 

Now, there’s a limit to how much disrespect can be thrown in their direction, as both players are first-round picks. Even so, teams will have to adjust how they evaluate such players during their time in college. Thus, the shift will be to focus on the positive attributes of the players rather than being solely scared away from the perceived negatives within the players’ games. 

Buffalo and Baltimore stuck to their guns with these selections. They recognized what several other teams could not see in these players. Thus, the payoff will only grow with these teams. The teams’ collective belief that they could help refine the rough edges of these players’ games while bolstering their strengths has led to the selection of a franchise quarterback.

Since the NFL is a copycat league, expect teams to take a second look at quarterbacks who might cause questions in the draft. With the proper support, once these players suit up on Sunday, the best of these players’ abilities are on display. These franchises and players are on the cusp of a culture change in the NFL. 

Teams will look differently at how players such as Allen and Jackson will be examined in the future. Now, Jackson and Allen are the players that other teams will compare their players to in the future.

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Bills opponent outlook: Ravens history, statistics and more

Everything you need to know about the Baltimore Ravens, the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 opponent.

Dec 1, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens square off this Sunday in a match up of AFC Heavyweights in Orchard Park. The Ravens are the hottest team in the NFL right now, defeating the Patriots and the 49ers over the last month. For the Bills, the chance to hang with a team of this caliber, is one to salivate at.

Here is all of the history that you need to know between the Ravens and Bills to get you ready for Sunday:

  • Since the Ravens inception in 1996, these two have played the Bills eight times.
  • They first played on Halloween in 1999, with the Bills getting a narrow 13-10 victory.
  • Their most recent encounter was the season opener just last year. The Ravens won 47-3 in that game.
  • Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson both made their NFL regular season debuts in last years game. Allen came in for a struggling Nate Peterman after he failed to move the offense down field, and Lamar was given the opportunity to get repetitions after the Ravens were well ahead.
  • The Ravens lead the all-time series, 5-3 , outscoring the Bills 180 to 112 in those eight encounters.

2019 So Far

Baltimore is way ahead of what many experts thought that they would be. Lamar Jackson’s growth, combined with excellent coaching from the Ravens staff, has propped the Ravens up as the best team in the NFL currently. Greg Roman, their offensive coordinator, is the dual-threat quarterback whisperer, and has this Ravens offense exciting to watch, and efficient, utilizing well sold trickery and misdirection.

After a good start, which saw them begin the season  2-2 with a blow out victory over Miami, a close victory over the Cardinals, and losses to Kansas City and division rival Cleveland, Baltimore hasn’t looked back since. Garnering eight straight wins, the Ravens have mostly dominated, with seemingly no end in sight.

Their major victories have been giving the Patriots their first loss of 2019 on primetime television, a double-digit victory over the Seattle Seahawks, led by another MVP candidate in Russell Wilson, lopsided victories over the Texans and Rams, and most recently, a strong four quarter effort to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s safe to say that 2019 has been good for the Baltimore Ravens. They currently sit at second in total offense, behind the Cowboys. Baltimore has accumulated 5,049 yards of total offense this season, with one fewer game than the Cowboys currently. Although they haven’t really needed too, they are the 26th ranked passing offense, with 2,555 yards passing for Jackson. By a long shot, they are the number one rushing offense, with 2,494 rushing yards in total, over 700 rushing yards ahead of the second best rushing offense, who they defeated in last week.

The Ravens also happen to be the highest scoring offense, by nearly 60 points ahead of the 49ers, who come in at number two. Baltimore is tied at first with Seattle for 26 passing touchdowns, and first in rushing touchdowns with 18.

Jackson comes in 18th for passing yard leaders this year, with 2,532 passing yards, just 59 yards behind Josh Allen. His 25 passing touchdowns are good for second in that category, only one touchdown behind Russell Wilson. Jackson is also 11th in completion percentage, with 66.5%. He’s doing well in the interception category as well, throwing only five this year, tied for 23rd with Matthew Stafford, Gardner Minshew, and Joe Flacco.

As for rushers, Jackson is in the top-10 of the NFL, 977 yards for him on the ground, with a good chance of crossing 1,000 this Sunday, averaging 81.4 yards per game. Mark Ingram, the starting running back, is not far behind, sitting at 12th with 837 rushing yards. Ingram has been a complementary and integral part of the offense, not only with yardage and production, but with selling fake handoffs. Gus Edwards sits at 32nd in yardage with 460 yards.

Obviously, with such a run heavy team, receivers aren’t having “career-years,” but it does not matter, they are doing their part to put their team in a winning position. Tight end Mark Andrews leads receiving for Baltimore, with 693 receiving yards, coming in at 32nd in the NFL. Andrews is fourth amongst tight ends however, just behind Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and Zach Ertz.

Marquise Brown is the leading wide receiver for the team. The rookie sensation is 58th in receiving yards with 520 yards by air, and six touchdowns of his own. Willie Snead is the next closest, ranked 125th with only 289 yards.

Historically, Baltimore has always been a defensive heavy team, and this year is no different. Despite losing some talented players, they traded for Marcus Peters and have a very young, and talented defense. The Ravens are currently the seventh ranked defense, allowing 3,881 yards against them. They are the 11th ranked passing defense, giving up 2,742 yards by air, and are the sixth ranked rush defense, allowing 1,139 yards on the ground. Baltimore is also the fourth ranked defense in points allowed, giving up 219 points so far, just behind the Buffalo Bills.

How do they match up versus the Bills?

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8 things to know about the Bills’ Week 14 opponent, the Ravens

Eight things to know about the Buffalo Bills’ Week 14 opponent, the Baltimore Ravens.

The Bills have an upcoming clash that might be the highlight of the NFL’s next slate of games in Week 14.

Not many predicted the Bills (9-3) and Ravens (10-2) would have the records that they have heading into this game.

Alas, here we are, potentially battling for the top spot in the AFC at New Era Field. With such an important matchup in mind, let’s update ourselves on the opponent.

Here are eight things to know about the Bills’ Week 14 opponent, the Ravens:

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports

Lamar a potential MVP?

The easiest place to start on the Ravens is exactly where everyone’s mind is. Quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Like Buffalo’s Josh Allen, Jackson is a dual-threat quarterback but in a much flashier sense. Both players are tough to bring down. Allen has the big body while Jackson has the elusiveness of Michael Vick. With those skills, Jackson leads the Ravens in rushing this season with 977 rushing yards, to go along with 2,532 passing yards. In total, Jackson has 25 passing touchdowns, seven rushing scores, six fumbles and five interceptions. It will be the first Lamar-Josh meeting at quarterback, too.

It’s hard to put into words how good Jackson is. He’s the current frontrunner for the MVP race and the Ravens are the only offense in the NFL to have scored more than 400 points (406) so far this season. Yes, that is good and yes he did this just last week:

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Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 11 with Ravens Wire

Ravens Wire helps Texans Wire go behind enemy lines to set the table for the Week 11 matchup between Houston and Baltimore.

The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens meet up for a Week 11 encounter at M&T Bank Stadium. To get ready for the matchup, Matthew Stevens, managing editor of Ravens Wire, took time to answer questions and give an inside look at the Ravens.

 

Texans wire: How much do Ravens fans fear Lamar jackson’s style of play will get him hurt?

Matthew Stevens: While many people look at how often Jackson runs and just see more opportunity for him to get hurt, it’s far more nuanced than that. The more you watch Jackson actually play, the more you see he does a great job avoiding big hits. He’s also a pocket passer primarily, using his legs when he has an obvious opening to make a play or when chased from the pocket. And considering how many starting quarterbacks have gone down with injuries this season by taking vicious sacks, him being able to avoid that pressure should be viewed as a positive towards his health rather than a negative. When Jackson does run, he’s been using the sideline a lot more often this season compared to his rookie year.

On plenty of his runs through nine games, Jackson has completely avoided being touched at all. So realistically, when you total everything up, Jackson probably takes no more hits than your average starting quarterback does. Though with the way Jackson has played thus far, he’s been able to see where those hits are coming from and been able to mitigate just how bad it’ll be. The reality is Jackson is undoubtedly going to get hurt at some point in his career, though everyone hopes he doesn’t.

There isn’t a franchise passer in this era of football that hasn’t gone down with a serious injury at some point in his career. The hope is Jackson can continue to be smart with how he plays in order to continue to not put himself at greater risk than any other quarterback.

TW: Who have been some big surprises for Baltimore?

MS: With a pretty young roster made up of a lot of new players, there have been a number of real surprises this season for the Ravens. But I think there’s been none bigger than the play from linebackers Josh Bynes and L.J. Fort. Both were midseason additions and have helped transform what had been one of the worst defenses in the league. Their individual stat sheets might not be much to write home about but their solid play has allowed so much else fall into place.

Offensively, I think running back Mark Ingram has been one of the best signings in the entire league this offseason. But without Jackson’s improvement as a passer and leader, the entire offense wouldn’t be nearly as impressive as it has been. While many expected Jackson to improve from last year, I don’t think many expected to see such a drastic improvement in such a short period of time.

TW: How hot of a commodity will Greg Roman be when it comes time to fill head coaching vacancies?

MS: While I think Roman should be at the top of plenty of coaching searches, I’m not too sure that happens. For as much praise as Roman and Jackson have gotten this season, featuring one of the best offenses in the league right now, I get the impression there are still plenty of people who either doubt the longevity of this scheme or how niche it is. And that makes some sense. Roman isn’t necessarily reinventing the wheel here. In fact, we’re seeing a lot of the same things he used when the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, just finding more success with Jackson at the helm.

But the thing that I think shouldn’t be overlooked is that Roman did cater his offense around the talent Baltimore has, especially at quarterback. He hasn’t been afraid to mix things up and go against the grain of traditional offense a little bit more often than you see elsewhere. That knack for not only finding and developing talent but creating a scheme to take advantage of it is something that should get him a ton of praise. It might seem like an obvious thing, but there are more than enough NFL teams that can’t seem to figure that philosophy out, including the Ravens for too many years.

TW: How big of a pickup was Mark Ingram?

MS: Ingram has been the best signing in the league this offseason bar none. Considering how much Le’Veon Bell cost the New York Jets, Ingram was a relative steal just in terms of pure cap space used. But he’s also on pace to set career highs in both rushing yards and touchdowns, improving the value so much more.

Ingram fits into what Baltimore wants to do, offering up the hammer to Jackson’s agility and in turn, the offense is flourishing because of it. He looks as strong as ever, often carrying defenders for extra yards. He still has plenty of speed, however, and has fooled defenses who though they could contain him on outside runs. It was the type of low-key, smart and efficient signing Baltimore has typically been known for in the past.

tw: is there a bettter cornerback duo than marlon humphrey and marcus peters?

MS: Boy, if there is, I’m drawing a blank on the names. Humphrey is the lockdown cornerback every team wishes they had, and Peters offers enough aggression and talent to gamble and notch some huge plays, as noted by his three pick-sixes so far this season. Considering Peters got traded to the Ravens before Week 7, he’s still undoubtedly learning the entire defensive playbook and turning things into muscle memory. Ideally, that means that duo can and will actually get better through the rest of the season and beyond. But what is often overlooked is that the Ravens also have Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr as well — two solid cornerbacks in their own right. It’s not a stretch to say Baltimore legitimately has four starting-caliber cornerbacks on their active roster right now, and that’s even with slot cornerback Tavon Young on injured reserve. With Earl Thomas sitting over top in the free safety role, it’s hard to imagine a better overall secondary than what the Ravens have.

 

tw: any predictions or bold predictions?

MS:  For a bold prediction, I’m going to say Jackson throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns while going over 100 yards on the ground.

So far this season, no team has been able to accurately simulate what Jackson can do, and that has been to Baltimore’s benefit. While Houston has a unique talent at quarterback in Deshaun Watson, he’s not quite on the same level as a rushing threat or as fast as Jackson. And when I look at the Texans’ defense, I wonder if they have the speed to keep Jackson from running all over them without giving up big plays either to the running backs or through the air. If the Ravens can get an early lead, the defense has been able to make some really good quarterbacks pay this season.

While anything can happen on a football field, I can’t really see that formula changing much for Baltimore this week. I see Jackson forcing the Texans to sell out on containing him, which will leave a rather suspect secondary even more exploitable. Watson and Houston’s offense keeps it close, but the Ravens win. Ravens 34, Texans 27