Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome is confident the team’s offense will improve next year.
How?
Because he’s already seen it this offseason just down the hall at the team’s training facility.
With players not permitted to enter the building, Baltimore’s coaching staff – and for the first time Head Coach John Harbaugh – has had more time to self-scout and formulate their new-look 2011 offense.
“The reason why I say we’re going to be better from an offensive standpoint is that I’ve seen all the work they’ve done this offseason refining the offense,” Newsome said.
Harbaugh cut his teeth in coaching mostly on defense and special teams, but is now asserting himself more into the Ravens’ offensive meetings. Newsome believes that a defensive perspective will add to the dynamic.
“[H]e can sit there and he can talk with them and say, ‘No, no, no. If I’m the defensive coordinator, I can defeat this,’” Newsome said.
“He grew up in the game, coaching special teams and coaching on the defensive side. And you can see over the course of the three years he’s been here, the progress that both of those elements of our game has gotten better. Now that he has that the way he wants it, now he can come over to the offensive side.”
The other reason why Newsome feels Baltimore’s offense, which went from No. 13 to No. 22 in total offense from 2009 to 2010, will improve is the continued progress of quarterback Joe Flacco, whom the general manager says will have a larger role.
Flacco has shown consistent progress throughout his three years, setting career bests in yards, touchdowns, interceptions and quarterback rating this past season. He also took more of a leadership role as the season went on.
“I think Joe’s going take ownership of this offense,” Newsome said. “This is going to be Joe’s offense. Cam [Cameron] may call the plays. I think Joe is going to have more of an opportunity to change some things, but this has to be Joe’s offense.”
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