The Baltimore Ravens decided to part ways with offensive coordinator Greg Roman after last season. Taking his place is long-time offensive coordinator Todd Monken. While it may be tempting to show a little bit of everything in Week 1, they should fight that temptation and only give the rest of the league a little taste of what’s to come.
Baltimore needs to understand the task at hand. It is not about proving what Lamar Jackson can do in a different type of offense from the start, as much as they might want to. The Ravens should be showing base plays and concepts that can lead to much bigger gains later in the season. For Baltimore, it is all about the setup.
This is equal parts pacing themselves in the rollout of their new offense and recognizing who they are playing in Week 1. The Houston Texans are not a good team and should not present that much of a problem. While overlooking Houston would be foolish and uncharacteristic for the Ravens, there is an attainable middle ground here. There is a world where they can beat the Texans comfortably without exhausting their entire playbook. A toned-down game plan combined with their talent level should result in a Ravens win without much pushback. (Baltimore is a near 10-point favorite for a reason).
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Keeping in mind that this is the first real game under Monken’s new offense, ensuring the core concepts are sound will be important moving forward.
There is one more factor at play for the Ravens
Baltimore plays Cincinnati in Week 2. Showing everything a week before playing a division rival, much less one with genuine Super Bowl aspirations would be a mistake. The Ravens’ second game is when they should dig deeper into their playbook. Showcase more looks and different concepts out of sets that look identical or at least similar to what they ran in Week 1. Baltimore is a smart and well-run organization, and it would not be a surprise to see them follow this exact path early on in the season.