Cowboys fans’ worst worries were recognized this previous week when the run defense, briefly appearing to have actually been fixed in a Week 1 win over the Browns, was absolutely wiped out by the Saints. Now, they invite in a Ravens group that currently included a terrific running video game and will be additional inspired to get the win entering this match with an 0-2 record.
Where does Mike Zimmer begin in attempting to bottle up this Ravens attack? Baltimore might be winless today, however their offense isn’t bad by any stretch; they lead the league in overall lawns and are 4th in offending DVOA. What makes this system tick?
The Ravens remain in simply their 2nd season with Todd Monken as the offending organizer. He signed up with the group last season after winning a nationwide champion at Georgia with Stetson Bennett under. Monken’s predecessor, present Chargers offending planner Greg Roman, had actually when produced offending fireworks with Lamar Jackson; the quarterback won the MVP award in his 2nd season as a professional, which was Roman’s very first complete season running the offense in Baltimore. Roman’s plan ended up being stagnant over time, and his run-heavy technique made it harder for the Ravens to surround Jackson with high quality getting alternatives.
Monken brought a more varied passing attack to the table. A training veteran of almost 4 years, the majority of Monken’s experience came at the college level. He matured the boy of a high school football training legend in Illinois, and his ancestral tree is cluttered with coaches. In overall, the Monken household has 13 football coaches in between the high school, college, and expert level; his cousin, Jeff Monken, has actually been the head coach at Army for 11 seasons and counting.
To state that Monken lives and breathes football is an understatement, however it does not simply originate from his household ties. Monken has actually served under a variety of offending minds throughout his profession, consisting of the similarity Tom Beck, Lou Holtz, Les Miles, Mike Gundy, and Dirk Koetter. Simply put, Monken has actually forgotten more about football than the majority of us will ever discover.
When Monken showed up in Baltimore a year earlier, he was charged with tweaking and revamping the death video game however not making wholesale modifications to the plan. Jackson’s capability as a dual-threat made him among one, and the Ravens’ power running plan was a best suitable for that skill. The death video game required to consist of more than simply targeting tight end Mark Andrews over and over.
Monken did precisely that. He presented a higher usage of 3 receiver sets, as seen in the chart below, that finest highlighted the Ravens’ group of ability gamers. Novice receiver Zay Flowers saw 108 targets and led the group in catches and lawns. Andrews was on his method to another strong season before a leg injury ended his routine season. And Jackson quickly set a profession high for pass efforts (and conclusion portion) without jeopardizing the run video game that’s worked so well: Baltimore led the league in hurrying efforts,