Ebony Bird
FanSided

Baltimore Ravens should be afraid of staying the same

By Chris Schisler

CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns and head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens shake hands after the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ravens won 27-10. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - DECEMBER 17: Head coach Hue Jackson of the Cleveland Browns and head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens shake hands after the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 17, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Ravens won 27-10. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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OWINGS MILLS, MD – MAY 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks with general manager Ozzie Newsome after a practice during the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp on May 5, 2013 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
OWINGS MILLS, MD – MAY 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks with general manager Ozzie Newsome after a practice during the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp on May 5, 2013 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Front office shakeup, anyone?

The biggest problem may not even be Harbaugh. The other constant has been Ozzie Newsome. Newsome has the final say in terms of personnel. He’s calling the shots and apparently Mike Wallace and a washed up Jeremy Maclin was the best he could do for the offense. Newsome took his yearly tradition, of neglecting the offense in the NFL Draft, to new heights in 2017. Newsome’s only picks to the offense in the 2017 NFL Draft were offensive linemen on the third day of the draft.

The plan was to make the defense a big, bad and dominating force. The offense didn’t need to be… you’ve heard this before. So much of the season was spent trying to justify Newsome’s plan but it’s hard to humor it any longer.

Try something new:

While Newsome deserves credit for a great run, he also deserves a lot of blame. He locked Joe Flacco to the Ravens without a key or any contingency for the future. He took away Flacco’s favorite receivers, in fact he’s made few moves to help Flacco out. The sad thing is that Alex Collins wasn’t part of the plan, Newsome and company found Collins with a bit of luck.

The Ravens need a new perspective. The idea that they can scrape by with little to no offensive talent is an idea that needs to be scrapped. The idea that they can replicate their past success if they get a dominate defense ignores the fact that no team can win that way now. When you look at what Newsome has done, it’s hard to say that change isn’t needed. Newsome is a legend, but it’s time for the future to catch up with Baltimore.

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