OWINGS MILLS — Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken has a clear vision.
Not only does he want to keep running the ball effectively, but he also wants to keep the pressure on opposing secondaries with deep passes downfield.
The question entering the regular season is whether the Ravens can execute those plays.
“Certainly, you want to have an offense that’s a nightmare to defend,” Monken said. “I think that’s what we’re all trying to accomplish – [have] an offense that you’re capable of winning in a variety of ways. If you need to run it to win, you can run it to win. If you need to throw it to win, you can throw it to win. That’s all we’re fighting for – to be elite in all those areas. And then the last part of it is, are you leading situational football? Short yardage, red zone, are you not turning it over, you’re explosive [and] formatted. All those things that really dictate a game.”
The Ravens have been a dominant running team. Last year, they led the NFL with 156.5 rushing yards per game.
The addition of four-time Pro Bowler Derrick Henry will only make the ground game more effective, especially when paired with two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, the league’s top dual-threat quarterback.
However, Monken knows the Ravens must consistently complete passes of 20 or more yards to be successful. That has been a point of emphasis throughout training camp. Jackson converted several deep throws at Tuesday’s practice, including a 66-yard completion to Nelson Agholor.
“I mean, we’ve been trying to keep working,” Monken said. “Just some of our downfield pass game. It just worked out today where the ball found its way down the field.”
The Ravens have a young group of wide receivers with second-year player Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Agholor, Tylan Wallace, and rookie Devontez Walker. The Ravens also have one of best tight end duos in the NFL with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who has been dominant throughout training camp.
Jackson is still developing a rapport with those players, and Monken is seeing progress with the second year in his system.
“Well you would hope it’s only going to get better, and it has,” Monken said. “We’ve had a great offseason – not only individually, but systematically. Once you get into the year, it’s hard to really tweak too much or assess it just week-to-week, the next team you’re playing, [but] you get in the offseason and say, “OK, we have to do this more, or we need to be better here, and you need to do this.” Systematically and individually, it’s been a great offseason, and he’s been great.”