BALTIMORE — Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken says his job description is simple, but the process is ever-changing.
The Ravens hired Monken on Feb. 14 to replace Greg Roman, and last week was the first chance to see him at work with a full roster during the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp.
There are still questions about how Monken is going to rescue the offense’s passing game, but there was no doubt about who ran the show this offseason.
The Ravens haven’t had an offensive coordinator as demanding and demonstrative since Gary Kubiak put up record numbers in 2014.
“I’ve always tried to bring a certain amount of energy, a certain amount of personality, a certain amount of juice to whatever I’m doing,” Monken, 57, said. “The bottom line is that you’re paid to do a job. Our job is to score points. So you fight like heck every day to put the pieces together and do it the best way you know how, but the players make you come to life on Sunday.”
It’s easy to compare Monken to Roman, but that would be unfair to both. Roman’s specialty was building a strong running offense around a mobile quarterback in Lamar Jackson. The concept wasn’t just Roman’s, but approved by owner Steve Bisciotti, coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta.
It just didn’t work out, so the Ravens hired Monken to put more emphasis on the arm of Jackson and the passing game. To help, Baltimore signed wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Nelson Agholor during free agency and took Zay Flowers in the first round of the NFL draft in late April.
But there are two major keys for the Ravens heading into the season, both involving Monken. He has to put all the pieces together and tap deeper into Jackson’s potential.
He hasn’t been around Jackson long but noticed one quality above all else.
“He is very good at reading situations, reading people,” Monken said. “He has a unique way of understanding people and what you’re trying to accomplish. You can tell by the questions being asked, and the way he goes about doing things. He’s embraced learning the system, and we’ve still got a ways to go.”
Much fuss has been made about Jackson being able to change plays at the line of scrimmage, but we’ve been through this before. Those same things were said about former Ravens quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde and Joe Flacco before their respective coordinators had to “dummy” down their offenses.
Here are some better reasons for optimism:
The Ravens have quickened the pace of getting in and out of the huddle, a major requirement of Harbaugh’s this offseason. They will probably attack more using the no-huddle, which plays to Jackson’s ability to improvise.
The Ravens appear to have more short passes in the playbook yet still can attack the entire field with clearing routes and Jackson throwing outside the numbers.
There is usually a quick option for Jackson, and his footwork has more design instead of the standard five- or seven-step dropback. And get this ... the Ravens even have screens.
“It’s hard to execute if you’re not adapting, if you’re not looking into what is cutting edge,” Monken said. “What you’re always trying to do is create a nightmare for the defense. The game is ever-changing and you have to change with it. You’re either a good leader or you’re not.
“As an offensive coordinator, you’re paid to score points. Some of the other things are just a piece of that — not that I’m against metrics or analytics; I’m not. I don’t mean it that way. I just mean it’s a lot simpler than that, and then trying to fit the pieces in the right spot.”
Monken has learned from a lot of coaches from his time at places like LSU, Oklahoma State and Georgia and NFL stops in Tampa Bay and Cleveland.
He has worked under Kirby Smart, Mike Gundy, Jack Del Rio and Lou Holtz and taken pieces from all of them, which fits into the NFL mantra: ”If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”
Harbaugh has a lot of respect for Monken, just as he did for Kubiak. When Kubiak was the coordinator, Harbaugh basically relinquished half of the field and stayed with the special teams and defensive units most of the practice.
That’s the case again with Monken barking out orders for almost every play. He isn’t afraid to jump on a player but can be subtle, harsh or funny depending on the situation.
Monken has a southern charm about him, a good old school approach similar to that of Holtz or former Clemson coach Danny Ford. At this point, it’s yet to be determined if he will be successful, but at least there’s hope.
He won back-to-back national championships at Georgia after the Bulldogs averaged nearly 500 yards and 40 points per game last season. Can he keep it up in the NFL?
“I don’t see it as pressure,” Monken said. “It’s just what we do. I wanted to be in Baltimore. It was going to take a special opportunity for me to leave Georgia, and this is a special opportunity. This is the ultimate challenge. If you have all the things in line aligned, you have a chance, and there is nothing like trying to do it against the best in the world.”
