Last Season's Success
Last season, the Baltimore Ravens showcased one of the NFL's most formidable offenses. The team racked up the sixth-most yards and the fourth-most points in the league, solidifying their reputation as an offensive powerhouse. This efficiency was further highlighted by their fourth-place ranking in FTN's DVOA and an impressive eighth-place tie in Tru Media's version of EPA per play.
Lamar Jackson's Remarkable Performance
A significant contributor to the Ravens' success was the exceptional performance of their quarterback, Lamar Jackson. Jackson had a standout season, earning the second MVP award of his career. In his 16 starts, he led the Ravens to a stellar 13-3 record, completing 67.2% of his passes with an average of 8.0 yards per attempt. Jackson threw for 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions, demonstrating his dual-threat capability by also rushing 148 times for 821 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Expanding Jackson's Role
Looking ahead, the Ravens are poised to place even more responsibility on Jackson’s shoulders. Jackson himself has expressed a desire to take on more duties, particularly in terms of audibling at the line of scrimmage. The Ravens' quarterbacks coach, Tee Martin, sees this evolution as a natural progression, believing that giving Jackson more autonomy will enhance the team's offensive dynamism. According to Martin, "It's like that smart kid in the classroom, you can't allow them to get bored, right? You have to constantly add things, tweaks, and responsibilities." Martin believes that this approach will help keep defenses on their toes and make the Ravens' offense even more unpredictable.
Cadence Variations and Offsides Penalties
One area where the Ravens see room for improvement is in drawing offsides penalties from opponents. Last season, the Ravens' offense only managed to induce an opponent offsides once. Martin aims to change that this season by having Jackson vary his cadence more often, a tactic expected to keep defenses off balance and potentially draw more offsides penalties. "It has been a tool in the past, and we're just going to continue to take it to the next level," said Martin. He added, "We have a lot of different ones that give us an advantage so that people don't know when we're snapping the ball and slowing them down a little bit."
Super Bowl Aspirations
The Ravens hope that all these strategic adjustments will help them make the leap to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Their success hinges on Lamar Jackson’s ability to adapt and thrive with his expanded role. The combination of Jackson's individual talent and increased responsibility could make the Ravens a formidable force in the coming seasons. By tweaking their approach and giving Jackson more control, the Ravens position themselves as strong AFC contenders, with hopes to finally break through to the Super Bowl.
Quotes from Key Players
Jackson and Martin's dedication to enhancing the Ravens' offense is evident in their statements. "From us watching film and getting into games, teams changing things up on us, we just want to add extra layers to all of our calls," Jackson said, via ESPN. Martin echoed this sentiment, saying, "Lamar is outstanding at it, whether we're going non-verbal on the road or whether we're going verbal at home."
In conclusion, the Baltimore Ravens are looking to build on their success from last season by expanding Lamar Jackson's role and introducing new offensive strategies. With talent, strategy, and determination, the Ravens aim to position themselves as strong contenders for the AFC title and a potential Super Bowl berth. As the season progresses, all eyes will be on Jackson and the Ravens as they strive to achieve their lofty goals.