Greg Roman taking what his offense did with 49ers to another level with Ravens
The San Francisco 49ers with an offense that included Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and a strong offensive line along with a talented defense was able to get to Super Bowl XLVII. That offense averaged a little over 200 yards per game passing and 150 yards per game rushing. Kaepernick started the final seven regular season games, giving them a bigger running threat from the quarterback position, forcing defenses to defend 11 every play as opposed to ten.
That offense was coordinated by Greg Roman. The same Greg Roman who now coordinates the Baltimore Ravens offense. With Lamar Jackson as his quarterback, Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards as his running backs and Mark Andrews and Marquise Brown as his main receivers, the Ravens offense so far has been able to take what Roman did with that 49ers offense to another level.
Yes, the Ravens opened their schedule with a pair of cupcake opponents in the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, but the sheer dominance is difficult to ignore. Through three games, the Ravens are averaging 306 yards passing and 216 yards on the ground. Those numbers will likely decrease over the course of the season, but averaging 522 yards on offense is astounding.
Part of the reason the Ravens have been so successful and able to put up these kind of numbers is the fact they have yet to turn the ball over.
The Ravens are forcing defenses to account for all 11 players on offense, able to find and exploit numbers advantages and confuse opponents with misdirection both on the ground and through the air. There were always certain types of passes that Kaepernick struggled with, which is a weakness that has not shown itself with Jackson, enabling him to be a little more dangerous.
This is the challenge the Cleveland Browns defense faces. They have to be able to find a way to fully account for the sheer number of ways the Ravens can run the ball, win the battle at the line of scrimmage, pressure Jackson without getting gouged by his ability to run and most importantly, be the first team to get them to turn over the ball.
None of this is easy and Steve Wilks faces a huge challenge in terms of his gameplan. There is no question the Browns defense has the talent to do this, but the defensive staff has to have this defense prepared so they can be confident in what they are seeing and doing, so they can play fast and be physical.
The moment Browns defenders are caught looking around for the ball, they could lose that physical edge and play right into the hands of the Ravens. If the Browns defense is up to the challenge, they can short circuit the Ravens offense and control the game.
