The Baltimore Ravens have constructed one of the most dynamic and explosive offenses in the NFL. And at the forefront of that offensive construction has been offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
Promoted to his current position in 2019, Roman helped build an offense around Lamar Jackson, allowing him to reach the heights that he did in his MVP season.
Roman deserves credit for maximizing Jackson’s dual-threat talents and paving the way for the NFL’s most dominant rushing attack.
But for all the work he’s done, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Ravens coach more firmly on the hot seat entering the 2021 season.
Greg Roman must evolve with the Ravens offense in 2021.
At its best, the Ravens offense is a well-oiled machine that bullies opposing defenses into submission with a league-best rushing attack built around their quarterback.
Of course, Lamar Jackson is the key that unlocks the vehicle that is the Ravens offense. But Greg Roman is the mechanic that fine-tuned said vehicle.
Unfortunately, that vehicle is beginning to show flaws. And those flaws must be corrected if the Ravens offense is to ever reach its true potential.
The narrative around Roman and the Ravens offense is simple. They have no issue pushing around lesser competition in the regular season with an elite rushing attack.
But when push comes to shove in the postseason and opposing teams draw up crafty game plans, everything falls apart.
Stop the run and you stop the offense. It’s been that simple — and that’s exactly what has cost the Ravens in each of the last two seasons.
Could it be the case that Roman was the ideal designer of such an offense, but that he isn’t the man to perfect the scheme? Do the Ravens need to call upon his successor to finally get over the proverbial hump?
That’s a question they will have to ask themselves this season.
It’s on Greg Roman to evolve and adapt his scheme. The Ravens attempted to supply him with the personnel that he needed this offseason.
The offensive line looks much improved from the unit that finished last season with the likes of Kevin Zeitler, Alejandro Villanueva, and Ben Cleveland being brought in as reinforcements. That’s not to mention the eventual return of Ronnie Stanley.
The wide receiver room has been bolstered as well with Sammy Watkins, Rashod Bateman, and Tylan Wallace joining Marquise Brown and Devin Duverneay to create a seemingly competent group of receivers.
Roman has the tools at his disposal to create an offense that can function effectively both against lackluster competition in the regular season and against the NFL’s elite in the playoffs.
But is that something he’s capable of doing? The upcoming season should answer a lot of our questions.