Baltimore Ravens Head Coach, John Harbaugh, has named four coaches that are being considered for the vacant offensive coordinator position; the position previously held by Jim Caldwell, now head coach of the Detroit Lions. Harbaugh also said that the offense should be creative, physical, and aggressive.
The four coaches named are Jim Hostler, Kirby Wilson, Scott Linehan, and Kyle Shanahan.
Hostler, Baltimore’s current Wide Receiver Coach, had one stint as an Offensive Coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers, but his offense simply porous. Kirby Wilson, Running Back Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has never coordinated an offense, but has extensive experience working on offense. Scott Linehan was the coordinator of the Lions from 2009-2013 and was relieved of his duties, after former Head Coach, Jim Schwartz, was fired. Shanahan spent the past four seasons as the Offensive Coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Before that, he coordinated the Houston Texans’ offense, under Gary Kubiak.
The two candidates that make the most sense for the Ravens are Linehan and Shanahan. Quarterback, Joe Flacco, is entering his prime at the age of 29, and running back Ray Rice only has a few years left. Hostler’s previous stint as offensive coordinator left much to be desired, and Wilson is unproven. The Ravens offense could regress even further with either of these coaches. The Ravens are just a few pieces away from being a playoff team, and they should not experiment with unknown quantities.
Linehan and Shanahan, however, have been proven play callers in the NFL; they have gotten results. The Lions offense drastically improved under Linehan, as it finished as a top ten offense three times in his five year tenure. Linehan’s passing offenses finished in the top five three times. The offense did have one major weakness though; the running game. The Detroit running game never ranked higher than 17th under Linehan. The coordinator lacks balance at times, as in 2012, Matt Stafford led the NFL in passing attempts, averaging 46 passes a game; he only handed the ball off an average of 24 times each game. The Lions ranked 24th in rushing attempts.
Courtesy: Washington Post
This is where Shanahan trumps Linehan as a candidate for Baltimore’s opening to run their offense. The Ravens plan on running the ball better in 2014, and Shanahan gives them the better chance of doing that.
Shanahan has coached a few solid running attacks, including 2012, where the Redskins led the NFL in rushing offense. They also finished fifth in rushing offense in 2013. He also coordinated two top five passing teams in 2008 and 2009 (tops in the NFL) with Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans.
This not only suggests that Shanahan is a balanced play caller, but it also shows that he is a flexible coach, who is willing to adapt his scheme to his personnel. While he ran a zone-blocking scheme, with a west coast passing offense in Houston, he implemented the read-option into Washington’s offense. Additionally, the Ravens have transitioned to a zone blocking scheme, which is a key part of Shanahan’s offense.
Shanahan is a creative and aggressive play caller. His offenses have been prolific, and he fits the bill. Harbaugh has also interviewed unnamed college coaches, but Shanahan is the best fit to be the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2014.
