Better Offense 'Motivation' For Baltimore Ravens' Todd Monken, Not Cleveland Browns Return
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken returns to face the Cleveland Browns four years after holding the same title with the Browns for the 2019 season.
For some, returning to your old employer can be an emotional time, and for others, there is a bigger emphasis on wanting to "get one over" your former team.
But for Monken, who is now a Raven, his focus is fully on making the offense better after some clunky performances, not on his impending return to Cleveland.
“No, there’s no [extra] motivation,” Monken said. “Motivation is to play better on offense and to execute at a higher level and stack plays. You can’t go score, fumble, and then you go four straight possessions putting the ball on the ground (vs. Colts). That’s what motivates me. It’s not going back to Cleveland. It’s the product we put on the field consistently, starting with me, how I do it, and then our plays, taking the plan to practice and then to the field because we’ve seen what it looks like. That’s the motivation.”
The Ravens were lauded during the offseason for having one of the most explosive offenses on paper, and through three weeks of the season, that hasn't translated.
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Now, part of that is simply due to the offensive scheme being completely different, as Monken took over from a more run-heavy offense that Greg Roman ran. Another part is that the players simply haven't had time to play together, which Lamar Jackson alluded to.
But facing Jim Schwartz's defense that ranks first for points allowed (just 10.7/g) and has nine sacks on the year (Myles Garrett, 4.5 sacks), 27 quarterback hits, and 18 tackles for loss, things will be tough for the Ravens offense.
For Monken, the whole offense as a unit needs to show up and give Jackson time to throw the ball amid the pass-rushing onslaught that might be coming at him.
“We did an outstanding job at Cincinnati in terms of when they did come in terms of recognition,” Monken said. “Some of it was still good on Sunday (vs. Colts). We just weren’t as clean in some of the protections, in our routes, we weren’t clean in a lot of areas. It’s all of us. At the end of the day, you own it. Offensively, we got to coach better, got to attack the week better, and we got to execute better, it’s really that simple.”
With the Ravens offense being rather clunky through the first three weeks, they get another chance to show improvement in Monken's scheme, but it won't be easy against a Browns defense led by Garrett.
Baltimore has generally played well away from home in division games, and on Sunday, Monken will hope that his high-powered offense clicks in what will be more than enough motivation as he goes against his former team.
