Ravens Rookie OC Declan Doyle Revealed His Starting Center Tuesday If You Listened Closely

Rookie offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s youth and inexperience showed for the first time Saturday in Minnesota.

It was by no means a tour de force performance from the novice play caller, Vikings elite defensive coordinator Brian Flores exposed him with exotic blitzes and got the better of him in special situations, and the first half was a mess. The penalties and procedural issues inherent in a sweeping change to an offensive system and staff finally showed up – seven penalties on the offense in the game – and going on the road tends to do that in the NFL, even in the preseason.

Doyle is going to need help from veteran players from get-go. He needs entities he can absolutely rely on from the most important positions, and those that are so integral to adjustments and protections and reading a defense. It’s why we told you all along the Ravens were wasting time and looking silly trying to pretend they had a starting center on their roster all offseason, and why Doyle’s mentor, Sean Payton, made it very clear on “The Daily Flock” that his protégée desperately needed a proven veteran center on Baltimore’s roster ASAP (they signed Ethan Pocic not long after).

And Doyle, himself, in his own way, if you know what to listen for, told you who the Ravens starting center was at a time when so many in the media and this staff want to build some faux mystery about this position. Even if Danny Pinter wasn't hurt – it was going to be Pocic – and with Pinter lost for the season, it IS Pocic.

“In our system,” Doyle said, reaffirming what Payton emphasized weeks ago, “that center position is massive for us, especially in Year One, with a different quarterback at the helm, that guy’s (the center) got to direct a lot of the show.”

Hmm.

So with Doyle finally just deciding where he wants to station himself to call plays in Week 1 (the pressbox) and with so many rookies in key roles on this offensive roster and this all brand new to Doyle, you’re telling me that there’s a real chance that project Jovaughn Gwyn (11 career snaps at center) is going to pay a game with Lamar Jackson’s health in the balance that counts in the standings? And he'd do so over Pocic, who has handled protections and calling out what he sees and helping with audibles and adjustments for multiple coaches and has played 5967 regular-season snaps and was given real money to sign with Baltimore at a time when numerous teams wanted him?

It’s cute that rookie head coach Jesse Minter believes he is gaining some advantage somewhere by spinning yarns and really wanting people to think they are anguishing over this decision, but the only way Pocic isn’t playing is if his body gives out coming off an Achilles repair.

“We certainly like where he is at,” Minter said of Vaughn on Monday, “and we like where Ethan is at. I think he has really asserted himself into that competition. I think that is going to be an ongoing thing here over these next couple weeks."

Why We Knew All Along

Doyle speaking about this position today sounded so much like his mentor.

When we asked Payton about the unique import of center to his offense he immediately flashed back to his first season as head coach in New Orleans and making a bold trade, sending a second-round pick (considered very steep for a center at the time) to the Browns to land stalwart veteran Jeff Faine (and perhaps risking a chance to draft Roman Harper in the process, though they ended up being able to draft him anyway).

“I always like a good communicator there,” Payton said. “We’ve had a number of different body types there, athletes. I go all the way back to our first year (2006). You know, we’re drafting Roman Harper, we back up maybe four spots and we acquire Jeff Faine (traded 34th overall pick for the Browns starting center) and we essentially got two players with that move …

“I think the communication skills, just relative to the run game and protections, I think those (Doyle will) value, and then the athleticism,. “Our league has told us historically speaking that a player can have some different body statures, but I think it’s also told us there’s a certain level of football IQ, intelligence and communication skill that exists. So I think that’s important relative to the timing of the snaps and the closer to the ball, the more we value that type of thinker.”

There is no substitute for that experience. Gwyn provides depth and can learn by watching Pocic operate. Jackson is use to a Pro Bowl type guard in Tyler Linderbaum, who the Ravens let go to Las Vegas for a record contract. It’s great that Doyle says he has “two really good options there,” but when he talks about Pocic being the first guy in the building, throwing himself into mastering this offense, he’s telling you who his first ever starting center is as he tries his hand at this job for the first time in less than three weeks.

“I come in every morning and he’s one of the first players here,” Doyle offered. “He’s exceptionally smart, he communicates at a really high level and you could see it from the first day he came out here.”

Here’s the real skinny the this “roster competition.” Something happens to Pocic, Doyle and his nascent offense are cooked.

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