John Harbaugh says Ravens ‘moral beginning’ with contemporary-seek for offense

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh made a mettlesome transfer after the 2022 season when, within the course of a lingering contract standoff between the personnel and huge title quarterback Lamar Jackson, Harbaugh fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman and employed Todd Monken from the college ranks to change him, as Monken had moral helped Georgia to aid-to-aid national titles because the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator.

Although many Ravens fans and pundits had been on board with Harbaugh’s map to push apart Roman, believing the personnel had grown too averse to calling passes in his blueprint, it modified into smooth of venture since Jackson had received an MVP with Roman and had but to worth a brand contemporary contract with Baltimore. However Jackson sooner or later did moral that — and then received his 2nd NFL MVP in his first twelve months in Monken’s offense. (Roman modified into additionally honest as of late employed by Harbaugh’s brother Jim because the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator.)

The Ravens accomplished with the absolute top out of the ordinary-season file within the NFL, rating sixth in total offense and fourth in scoring offense in their first twelve months with Monken working the unit. Although Baltimore fell agonizingly short to the eventual Colossal Bowl-champion Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the AFC title game, comments John Harbaugh made this week on the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine may effect some apprehension into the rest of the NFL.

“We’re moral beginning,” Harbaugh suggested newshounds, by project of ProFootballTalk. “We’re one twelve months into this element. There are so mighty of issues that I truly feel fancy, taking a seek for aid on it now, they surely had been baby steps. They had been laborious steps for us to receive, because it modified into a sea substitute in phrases of offensive philosophy, however they had been baby steps taking a seek for aid on them. We now hang got so, so some distance to head.

“I met with Todd. I met with your complete coaches personally. I met with Lamar just a few days after that. I met with completely different gamers, and now we hang a direction lawful now on the effect we are seeking to head. We’re seeking to be tight. We’re seeking to be locked in. We’re seeking to like how this offense applies to Lamar and our gamers, and we are seeking to own lawful by our gamers, and we are seeking to own lawful by Lamar and invent the absolute top operation that we are able to for him so his abilities can truly shine. I mediate we’re moral beginning with that.”

Even more encouraging to Ravens fans, Jackson is now locked in on a lengthy-time period contract for the subsequent lots of years, and main 2023 broad receiver Zay Plants is coming off his rookie twelve months. Plus, the personnel stands to gain a increase from returns to burly health by top tight discontinuance Designate Andrews and first-string working aid J.K. Dobbins. Andrews suffered an ankle injury in Week 11 final season and did not return till the aforementioned AFC title game, while Dobbins neglected virtually the total 2023 season after tearing his Achilles in Week 1.

However Andrews is now fully recovered from his injury, while Dobbins seems properly on his methodology per a recent video he launched on his social media.

Nonetheless, the Ravens additionally face massive query marks on the defensive facet of the ball. Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald left to change into the subsequent Seattle Seahawks head coach, and lots of key contributors of what modified into the NFL’s No. 1 scoring protection in 2023 are location to hit free company, including linebacker Patrick Queen and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, that implies that laborious decisions are within the offing for Harbaugh, common supervisor Eric DaCosta and contemporary defensive coordinator Zach Orr.

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