Coming off a nationally televised humiliation to Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys on Halloween night, the 3-4 Minnesota Vikings head to Maryland to take on the 5-2 Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. John Harbaugh and the rest of his staff have the luxury of an additional week of prep because the AFC North leaders are coming off their bye.
Even with the extra week of prep, don’t expect many new wrinkles from Baltimore’s offense. Since Greg Roman took over as the offensive coordinator in 2019, the Ravens’ identity has been clear. And luckily for Leighn Anne Touhy of The Blind Side fame, she hasn’t had to voice a single complaint about Baltimore’s offensive play calls over the past three seasons.
This year, Baltimore’s offense has “regressed” to ranking just third in rushing, having spent the past two seasons leading the league in both rush attempts and rushing yards. The unquestioned leader of this rushing attack is the wildly dynamic 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Interestingly enough, Roman’s offense is generating the most passing volume ever throughout his nine-year career as an NFL coordinator.
Roman is notorious for unapologetically pounding the rock, largely at the expense of his passing game. Coming into this season, his offenses have ranked 31st or dead last in pass attempts in seven of eight seasons. The Ravens currently rank 21st in passing volume, a massive uptick considering his historical trends. The unexpected shift in Roman’s offense was on full display in Week 5’s Monday Night Football matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Jackson dazzled the national television audience, completing 37 of 43 passes for 442 yards and four touchdowns in Baltimore’s comeback victory.
With his history of success scheming Jackson, Roman has quietly become the dual-threat quarterback whisperer of the NFL. He was primarily responsible for the San Francisco 49ers’ success when they transitioned from Alex Smith to Colin Kaepernick during their Super Bowl run in 2012. Roman’s zone-read game allowed Kaepernick to showcase his game-breaking abilities in his first season as a starter. These are the same concepts that he’s using today in Baltimore with Jackson.
While Roman is undoubtedly fortunate to have both Kaepernick and Jackson as quarterbacks throughout his career, his ability to maximize their talents in his scheme deserves plenty of praise. Including his stint in Buffalo with dual-threat quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Roman’s offenses have finished fourth or better in rushing yards in seven of his eight seasons — including four seasons where his offense led the entire league in rushing.
If you’re one of many Vikings fans fantasizing about Mike Zimmer’s replacement right now, and you happen to share the same offensive philosophies as the gentleman below in the horned hat, Roman should be at the top of your Vikings Head Coach Wish List.
Especially if you’re a Skoldier who firmly believes that Kellen Mond is the long-term answer at quarterback. Let’s not forget, the player that Mond was most frequently compared to coming out of Texas A&M is none other than Roman’s former quarterback in San Francisco, Kaepernick.
Roman was able to elevate both Kaepernick and Jackson in their second seasons. Jackson was named MVP in 2019, his first season in Roman’s offense. Roman has generated head coaching interest recently, having interviewed for the Cleveland Browns job in 2019.
And any franchise that currently has an electric dual-threat quarterback would be wise to consider Roman as their head coach. The jury is still out on Mond’s ability to be a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. But you won’t find a better candidate than Roman to get the best out of the Vikings’ rookie signal-caller should they decide to move on from Kirk Cousins sooner rather than later.
