Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense have been prolific. Now they want to be balanced.
Since Greg Roman took over as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator in 2019, the Ravens’ offense, led by Lamar Jackson, has put up the best numbers in franchise history.
In his first full season as a starter, Jackson helped the team set franchise records in rushing yards (3,296), touchdowns (64) and points (531). Last season, the Ravens followed with the second-highest totals in those categories.
The team has averaged 31.2 points since 2019, the most by any team in the NFL. But while the Ravens were first in rushing last season, they ranked last in passing in 2020. So as they head into their second preseason game Saturday at Carolina, becoming a more balanced offense is paramount.
“The more we can play with a balanced attack, the more comfortable I am,” Roman said Tuesday. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Just try to make it better. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Finding balance starts with Jackson, whose passing numbers last year were solid but down from his MVP season in 2019. Jackson threw 26 touchdown passes, tied for 12th in the NFL, and just nine interceptions while finishing with the seventh-highest quarterback rating in the league. But in other areas, such as completion percentage and passing yards, Jackson ranked outside the top 20.
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If Jackson’s passing continues to blossom, the Ravens’ offense will become more potent and less predictable.
“I’m not a perfect player,” Jackson said last week. “I don’t think anybody is a perfect player, but I’m trying to work on everything; throwing the ball outside, throwing deep passes, throwing intermediate passes, short passes, running a little bit here and there, getting moves out of the pocket — everything.”
Quarterbacks coach James Urban used a basketball analogy to describe Jackson’s progression — you have to learn how to hit a jump shot first, then you expand your game from there. He said during offseason training activities he wanted to see Jackson continue to improve his footwork and throwing mechanics as well as make adjustments at the line of scrimmage.
Roman said there was a dead period last season because of the pandemic when it was hard for Jackson to work on certain aspects of his game. This offseason, according to Roman, Jackson “grinded” to tweak his technique and fine-tune other areas, and Roman said he has seen improvement.
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Jackson’s training camp got off to a late start after he tested positive for the coronavirus, but he continued to work on his technique by throwing to his cousins in his backyard, using drills Urban and other coaches had taught him.
Tight end Mark Andrews, who has led the team in receptions the past two seasons, said Jackson isn’t playing like someone who missed the first few weeks of camp.
“He’s slinging the rock. He’s putting the ball right where it needs to be,” Andrews said. “He’s locked in. He’s more focused than he’s ever been.”
Baltimore emphasized improving at wide receiver in the offseason, signing veteran Sammy Watkins and drafting Rashod Bateman out of Minnesota in the first round. Bateman’s recent groin surgery could cause him to miss the start of the season, providing opportunities for other young wideouts. One candidate is Devin Duvernay, who said last week he believes his speed will make him a factor in all aspects of the passing game.
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Coaches and players have noted the overall improvement in speed of the unit during training camp, and Andrews said Jackson’s ability to throw outside the numbers and the Ravens wideouts’ ability to stretch the field will make Andrews’s job a lot easier.
As for Watkins, Urban called the eight-year veteran’s presence in the offense “a blessing.” Watkins has had an inconsistent career, but Roman called him “one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.”
“Practice makes perfect, so I’m trying to do whatever I can to make [Watkins’s] job a lot easier,” Jackson said. “But he’s — like I said — making my job a lot easier, and I love working with him. I’m glad he’s here.”
Aside from making the most of the skill players on the roster, Roman wants to open up the playbook to make the offense less predictable. For example, last season the Ravens used two forms of personnel groups — 11 and 20 — that included three wide receivers, but their play-calling out of those formations was different. When they came out in 11 personnel — a running back, a tight end and three wide receivers — they passed the ball 60 percent of the time. But when they lined up in 20 personnel — two running backs and three wide receivers — they ran it 79 percent of the time.
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Roman even talked Tuesday about incorporating some plays from under center — something the offense did on just 3 percent of its snaps last season.
“We just got to keep working at it,” Roman said about plays from under center. “People will look at us and say, ‘Okay, when they’re under center, here’s what we can expect, and when they’re not, here’s what we can expect.’ So we want to be multiple when we do it. We don’t want to be predictable. But the quarterbacks are doing a nice job with it.”
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