When the Ravens hired Marc Trestman last year, he wasn't asked to make any sweeping changes to the offense. Bringing in a new offensive coordinator often means overhauling the scheme, but the Ravens wanted Trestman to build off the system Gary Kubiak had installed the previous year.
Trestman fit himself to the system, not the other way around.
"It's a little unnatural when you [first] come in, and there is a pre-existing offense in place," Trestman said at last week's minicamp. "It was a very good offense, as we all know. But I spent three months on it, trying to make sure that I simulated the things that were necessary for me to do my job."
Trestman's workflow was much different this year.
He didn't have to spend any time playing catch-up in the offseason. He knows the system and the personnel. He has built a rapport with his quarterback, Joe Flacco. Trestman saw what worked and what needs to change.
"Coming into it a day after the season is over, you feel you are in a lot better position, because you aren't using those 90 days out of 120 to learn another offense," Trestman said. "It's the offense you know now."
With a year of experience behind him, the Ravens are optimistic about what the offense can do with Trestman at the helm.
"We're going to be in much better shape, in terms of building the system from that standpoint than we were the first year," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "Now the system is more [Trestman's] than it was last year. I think it's more ours than it was last year."
In addition to Trestman being in a better spot now with his grasp on the offense, the Ravens also have the luxury of coming into a season without having to adjust to a new system or coordinator.
This will be the Ravens' third season using the West Coast offense. It's also the first time since 2013 they've had the same offensive coordinator in back-to-back years.
"We have a lot of confidence in what we're doing," Harbaugh said. "We're excited about what we built into it, and Marc Trestman is the main architect of that because he's the offensive coordinator, and he's really very well equipped to do that."
In the first season under Trestman, Baltimore finished with the NFL's 14th-ranked offense. That's despite major injuries at just about every position.
. By the time the season ended, the Ravens were down to their third starting quarterback and running back, and had also lost their starting left tackle, center, tight end and five receivers to season-ending injuries.
Trestman didn't use the injuries as an excuse, and when asked where the team needs to improve, he pointed to their 28 turnovers from last year.
"I think No. 1 is we have to take care of the football better," he said. "We've certainly got to do that. That starts with everything that we do as coaches. It starts there, and we've got to be better – the pure fundamentals and techniques."
Expectations are high for Trestman and the offense going into the 2016 season. Flacco is expected to return at the start of training camp after recovering from last year's torn ACL, and the Ravens have invested significant resources to add players at left tackle, wide receiver and tight end. General Manager Ozzie Newsome said during an offseason press conference that this might be the most talent the Ravens have ever put around Flacco.
With a quarterback in his prime surrounded by playmaking threats, the Ravens hope to take a major leap in Trestman's second season.
"I'm excited about where we're going offensively," Harbaugh said. "I think we're going to be really well-coached. We just have to build execution out here. We just have to come out here, get good, take care of our business and get good at what we're doing."
