The NFL’s Scariest Team

Since he arrived, Todd Monken has been the target of criticism. After all, isn’t it a rite of passage for Baltimoreans to criticize their team’s offensive coordinators?

This is year 2 for Monken in Baltimore. Year 1 ended in a rather unsavory way. The aftermath of the Ravens loss to the Chiefs at M&T Bank Stadium during the AFC Championship Game left a bitter, bitter taste in the mouths of Ravens fans. The offensive game plan was a disaster and consequently, the team failed.

According to John Harbaugh (although film study analysts have said otherwise), the Chiefs loaded the box throughout the AFCCG forcing the Ravens to abandon their running game. And the team, the coaching staff, failed to adjust.

On Sunday in Cincinnati, the Bengals looked to be borrowing from the Chiefs defensive playbook while facing the Ravens. Probably tired of hearing about their shoddy rushing defense, the Bengals were determined to clamp down on Derrick Henry. The Bengals’ game plan seemed obvious – let the Ravens beat us through the air.

This time, Monken was up to the challenge. We saw mesh route concepts and bunch alignments out of 22-personnel to create challenging one-on-one matchups for the Bengals defense. And in this video below, check out how Monken was able to get four vertical routes out of an alignment that screams “run”.

Monken has said since his arrival that he wants to be versatile from the same look. In other words, he doesn’t want a specific alignment to tip the play. He wants to be able to throw or run from the same personnel grouping. On Sunday, he was quite successful and today the message to the rest of the league is that the Ravens offense can beat you in several ways. And they are getting it done with what many (me included) believe is still a patchwork offensive line.

Check out who’s running a wheel route down the right sideline in the below. AND, he was open.

Ravens getting to 4-verts from 22 personnel pic.twitter.com/7xuDYjkW6y

— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) October 7, 2024

The Bate Signal is Up!

Rashod Bateman, like Monken, has been the target of a lot of fan outrage. He can’t stay healthy; he doesn’t work out with Lamar Jackson in the offseason; why isn’t he at OTA’s; and for the love of God, why did they extend this guy?

But there was never denying Bateman’s ability, only his availability. Now, as healthy as he’s been since his sophomore season at the University of Minnesota back in 2019, Bateman is beginning to put it together and perhaps more importantly, he’s earning the confidence of his MVP quarterback. And here a are a few reasons why:

Lamar to Rashod Bateman, @Ravens re-take the lead!

: #BALvsCIN on CBS/Paramount+
: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/kzNBjpmpHg

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024

Here are the dots on that 16-yard TD from Lamar Jackson to Rashod Bateman

(NGS) pic.twitter.com/Cc1XLsYeqs

— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) October 6, 2024

Sheeeesh @R_bateman2

Tune in on CBS! pic.twitter.com/UZY2m6aM28

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 6, 2024

Imo Bateman is an elite separator because he does his work early. His release package has always been elite if the CB is in trail he’s at the mercy of the WR. On time throw and it pays off pic.twitter.com/QswLaMZfHK

— Dolph (@zzGodSpeed) October 7, 2024

.@R_bateman2 #NextGenStats powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/MpmJi0iEJZ

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 8, 2024

Are the Ravens the NFL’s Scariest Team?

Recency bias runs rampant on Monday mornings following an NFL weekend. Josh Allen is the runaway MVP candidate for three weeks and then suddenly, he needs help. A few weeks ago, the Jets were going to the Super Bowl and today, they fire their head coach. After Sunday’s dramatic win in Cincinnati, the Ravens are considered by some to be the “scariest team in the NFL.”

Really?

Blah, blah, blah…

An NFL season is a marathon. Improvement along the way is a process. Consistent improvement while correcting costly mistakes shapes a champion. And for now, it’s difficult to conclude that the Ravens are the scariest team when their defense extends gifts to opposing offenses like greeters at Walmart give away smiley faces.

No. 32

It’s safe to say that so far, Marcus Williams has been a bad investment. By the time the 2024 season concludes, the Ravens will have paid Williams $44M since 2022, covering three seasons. And if we’re being honest, the talented albeit highly underperforming safety has been a free agent bust, the second high-priced free agent safety that GM Eric DeCosta has invested in. Neither has provided much if anything in the way of ROI. The other safety? Earl “Car Wash” Thomas.

Maybe DeCosta should be bearish on safeties moving forward.

Be that as it may, John Harbaugh remains confident that the 2024 season will turn around for Williams.

John Harbaugh said he believes Marcus Williams is “on the verge of breaking out.” He believes he’s moving well and tackling effectively.

For now, Williams is grading out as one of the NFL’s worst safeties, according to PFF.

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) October 7, 2024

I wish I shared Coach Harbs’ confidence.

Maybe I’ll be proven wrong on Sunday. But it would help if Williams lined up a little closer to the LOS than club section 210 at The Bank.

To Defend Orr Not

Zach Orr seems to be in over his head. And if memory serves me correctly, we thought the same of Mike Macdonald as a rookie DC in the league.

I don’t know if it’s going to turn out the same, but what’s being said about Zach Orr after 5 weeks of his first NFL DC job is very similar to what was said about Mike MacDonald.

2022 D through 5 weeks (3-2 record):
1,451 pass yards allowed (Flacco, Tua, Mac, Allen, Burrow)
540…

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) October 8, 2024

Maybe it will eventually click. Maybe the defense will gain some consistency. But for now, it just feels like Lamar and the offense is going to have to carry the weight.

Around The League

All the Feels in Cleveland

DeShaun Watson is a joke. And I was even close to feeling bad for Browns fans until I was reminded that the city of Cleveland and that clown Tony Grossi have kept Art Modell out of the Hall of Fame. So let the pain, despite all the massage therapy to release it, continue. Let the stench of this wretched signing/trade linger like a Cranberries song.

Mike Greenberg makes the case for the Browns acquiring Deshaun Watson being the worst transaction in NFL history.

“If they cut him, his dead cap hit for next year would be $172 million. They couldn’t pay Ohio State with what is left over in a salary cap, much less an NFL team,… pic.twitter.com/pfT6RJ5pXe

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 8, 2024

Saleh Later

Robert Saleh as mentioned earlier, is no longer the Jets head coach. Could one of the game’s greatest ever head coaches one day replace him and pair him up with yet another HOF QB?

The New York Jets have an opportunity to do the funniest thing ever pic.twitter.com/ubyVvASEMB

— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) October 8, 2024

Crazier things have happened.

You can almost hear Coach Hoodie say, “We’re on to New York”?

[Who is the Big Crab Cake for Week 5?]

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/10/08/tltakes/monken-in-baltimore/