'Surround Yourself With Sugar!' Ravens OC Todd Monken Excited to Work With Offensive Weapons
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is one happy person. After an offseason that had doom and gloom all around with the uncertainty of Lamar Jackson's situation, now, it's full steam ahead.
Jackson signed a long-term deal, and Odell Beckham Jr. and draftee Zay Flowers come into an offense crying out for talent in wide positions. For Monken, working with the talented receiving group at his disposal is exciting.
"You're paid to move the football and score, and that's a lot easier with talented players," Monken said. "As I always say, 'Cookies taste better with sugar than they do with vinegar.' So, you surround yourself with sugar."
The Ravens' offense will be a sweet sight for fans next season. With a running game that is the envy of most in the NFL, coupled with tight end Mark Andrews and now Beckham Jr. and Flowers, Baltimore can put up points for fun (on paper, at least).
But seeing as it is Monken's first offseason as Ravens' offensive coordinator, it will take time to get his ideas across to the playing group.
With voluntary workouts now commencing for most NFL teams, Monken is doing what he can with the players available at this early stage of the preseason.
"It's early because we've only really been on the field now [for] a week and a half, so we're just in the infant stages of doing some of that," Monken said. "In terms of the installs, game dictates tempo, players dictate tempo. So, as we move forward, we'll have a better idea in terms of where that presents itself for us.
"We're excited about the guys that are here, and I know they're working hard. It is voluntary, but we're excited about the guys that are here."
The AFC North is looking like a two-horse race between the Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, and with Baltimore so close to dumping their rivals out of the postseason last year, there is a want to go one step further.
With the additions of Beckham Jr. and Flowers, along with a healthy Jackson and a run game that can, at times, be hard to stop, Baltimore will be a team to watch for next year.
As far as Monken surrounding himself with sugar, we can get a sense that the Ravens' offense will be one of the sweetest in the NFL next season.
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