What They're Saying About Trestman Hire
The internet is widely praising the Ravens' hire of Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman as a strong replacement for Gary Kubiak, and says it puts the team right back on track.
Trestman reportedly agreed to a three-year deal with Baltimore despite having as many as seven teams reportedly interested in his services.
Here's what they're saying about the Trestman-Ravens marriage:
Jason Butt (SB Nation's Baltimore Beatdown) believes hiring Trestman is a**home run**and that he has a cool demeanor that will mesh well with quarterback Joe Flacco:"With Kubiak chasing his dream job, to return to Denver, the Ravens have struck gold again by hiring former Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman. … Trestman also has a cool, calm demeanor, which should mesh well with quarterback Joe Flacco in the meeting room. Trestman is exactly where Kubiak was a year ago. A brilliant offensive mind who endured a brutal year as a head coach and lost his job. … But keep in mind, if everything goes as expected with this hire, it may be a one- or two-year rental similar to Kubiak. You don't just hire former head coaches and expect them to become long-term offensive coordinators."
Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson (The Baltimore Sun) on**Trestman’s offensive system being similar to Kubiak’s**: "Trestman replaced Mike Shanahan, one of Kubiak's mentors, as the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator in 1995, and he, too, is rooted in West Coast offensive principles. While his offenses feature the quarterback frequently operating out of the shotgun, which Kubiak barely used, there are similarities in their quarterback coaching philosophies in that they focus on proper footwork and getting the ball out quickly. Trestman, however, has not fully employed the zone blocking system, and it's unclear if he'll embrace it, or [if] the Ravens will scrap it in deference to Trestman."
Gerry Sandusky (WBAL) on Trestman's intelligence and ability to adjust to Ravens' strengths: "The more I talk to people about Marc Trestman the better I feel. Kubiak loss is huge. But Trestman looks like good fit to keep off. on track … Unlike Kubiak who brought his system to the Ravens, I see Trestman bringing his intelligence and insights to the system the Ravens now have. … Marc Trestman has coached and coordinated multiple offenses. He's flexible, intelligent, and will adapt to what Flacco does best. … Trestman's Bears team threw more than they ran. The Ravens offense had great success with running and play action. Trestman will adjust."
Mike Preston (The Baltimore Sun) says getting Trestman to replace Kubiak**puts the Ravens back on track**: "One day after losing one of the NFL's best offensive coordinators in Gary Kubiak, the Ravens replaced him with another top one, Marc Trestman, former head coach of the Chicago Bears. Is Trestman another Kubiak? Maybe not — few are. But there aren't too many Trestmans around, either. It was a great move by the Ravens, especially since they entered the race late for landing a top offensive coordinator. Signing a coordinator of Trestman's stature gives the offense instant credibility again. The Ravens needed to make a big splash with this move after losing Kubiak, who helped the offense compile record numbers last season.
"Trestman will work well with Harbaugh. He is quiet, confident and content in just being an offensive coordinator, much like Kubiak. There isn't much rah-rah stuff. One of Harbaugh's biggest assets is that he allows his assistants and coordinators to coach."
Luke Jones (WNST) reviews Trestman's track record with**quarterbacks**: "The 59-year-old has a strong reputation in working with quarterbacks — despite the failures of Chicago's Jay Cutler this past season — and has guided the likes of Bernie Kosar, Steve Young, Jake Plummer, Rich Gannon, and even journeyman Josh McCown to strong seasons."
Russ Lande (former Browns and St. Louis Rams scout) on Trestman's brilliant mind, but lack of running the rock: "Trestman has a brilliant offensive mind. He'll have Joe Flacco playing the best football of his career. The only real concern with Marc is, 'Will he run the football enough?' He loves the passing game, that's his thing." Per The Baltimore Sun, in 10 seasons as an NFL play caller, Trestman's offenses have finished in the top 10 in rushing yards per game just once. However, he's produced a top-5 scoring offense in five seasons. In 2014, running back Matt Forte finished with 1,038 yards.
Jamison Hensley (ESPN) says John Harbaugh made a**bold move***with this hire: *"The buzzworthy choice would've been [former Broncos Offensive Coordinator Adam] Gase, a 36-year-old wunderkind who was calling plays for the highest scoring offense the past two seasons. Trestman is more Tecmo Bowl than Madden in comparison, the league's third-oldest offensive coordinator at 59 who is considered either the revered 'Quarterback Whisperer' or a bit of a gamble based on the fact that five of his last seven years were spent in the Canadian Football League. … Harbaugh's decision was likely made easier by endorsements from two people who have earned his trust. Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was finishing up his Hall of Fame tight end career in Cleveland in 1988 and 1989, which were Trestman's first two seasons as an NFL coordinator. Jim Harbaugh said Trestman 'taught me everything' when they were with the Oakland Raiders' staff 12 years ago."
Clifton Brown (CSNBaltimore.com) notes how much Trestman**loves to attack down field***: *"That should suit Flacco, one of the NFL's best deep throwers. Perhaps the Ravens will think even harder about adding another deep-threat wide receiver through the draft or free agency."
Mark Clayton (ESPN) on Flacco going from**coaching carousel loser to winner**:"For about 48 hours, I thought one of the biggest losers in the coaching carousel was Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens. He had lost Gary Kubiak. … But that's been solved now because they got Marc Trestman as the new offensive coordinator and I think that balances things out. Trestman works so well with quarterbacks. … Trestman's a good play caller, he's very imaginative in what he is able to do and I think he's going to work well with Joe Flacco."
You fire em, Ravens hire em: Trestman, Kubiak, Caldwell, Cameron, Zorn, Fassell, Spagnuolo. Fired HC's who've become Ravens assistants. — Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) January 21, 2015
Just my opinion I don't trust OC of a Peyton Manning led offense. Feel like the real OC is Peyton Manning so I preferred Trestman over Gase — Ken Weinman (@KenWeinmanSport) January 20, 2015
Final figures are still being worked out, but Marc Trestman will be signing a 3-year deal with the #Ravens, source said. Solid commitment — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2015
Kubiak was 2-11 when fired in '13. Great here in '14. MT @sportguyRSR A lot of people beating up Trestman 4 job he did w/ the Bears last yr — Brian McFarland (@RavensSalaryCap) January 20, 2015
Trestman was in play for 6-7 OC jobs. Bears O was ugly & disappointing, but NFL teams clearly thought well of his scheming & strategizing. — Dan Pompei (@danpompei) January 20, 2015
Trestman failed as a head coach but is a great offensive mind hell isn't his nickname the QB whisperer? #Ravens — Ken Weinman (@KenWeinmanSport) January 20, 2015
Say what you want about Marc Trestman's tenure in Chicago, but he has long owned an excellent reputation as an offensive coach. #Ravens — Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) January 20, 2015
Ravens Reportedly Think Balls Deflated In New England
You've heard of "SpyGate." Now it's "DeflateGate."
DeflateGate is taking the NFL by storm as the New England Patriots are once again being accused of bending rules, and it has some questioning the legitimacy of their upcoming Super Bowl appearance.
Reports surfaced this week that the Patriots may have underinflated their footballs – believed to make balls softer so they are easier to throw and catch – in their 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC championship. The league conducted an investigation, which revealed that 11 of 12 balls were indeed underinflated by 2 pounds per square inch, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.
The investigation still needs to discover how the balls became underinflated after the standard examination and approval by referee Walt Anderson two hours and 15 minutes before kickoff. After the approval, the footballs* *were returned to a ball attendant.
11 of 12 balls under-inflated can anyone spell cheating!!! #Just Saying — Jerry Rice (@JerryRice) January 21, 2015
Under league rules, no alteration of footballs is allowed once they are approved and they are required to be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch and weigh between 14 and 15 ounces.
"Deflating a football can change the way it's gripped by a player or the way it travels through the air. Under NFL rules, each team provides balls each game for use when its offense is on the field," wrote Mortenson. "The balls are inspected before the game by the officiating crew, then handled during the game by personnel provided by the home team."
The Colts reportedly became suspicious when linebacker D'Qwell Jackson intercepted a Tom Brady pass in the second quarter. Jackson gave the ball to an equipment staff member, who gave it to Head Coach Chuck Pagano, who passed it to Colts GM Ryan Grigson, who passed it to NFL Director of Football Operations Mike Kensil, who raised the issue with on-field officials at halftime.
After the results of the league investigation were reported, Colts punter Pat McAfee and cornerback Darius Butler took to Twitter insinuating the game should be replayed or they should be the replacements in the Super Bowl.
So what does any of this have to do with the Ravens?
Well, late last night,* *CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora reported that some Ravens believe the balls were also underinflated in their matchup against the Patriots in the divisional round. Only, the concern was raised with the kicking balls, not the throwing balls, which some believe have a bigger effect.
"Some of the Baltimore Ravens believe kicking balls used in their playoff game at New England were slightly underinflated," reported La Canfora. "[S]ome on Baltimore's sideline believed there may have been irregularities with the kicking balls used in their AFC divisional playoff game at Foxborough, Mass., on Jan. 10.
"Baltimore's kicking and punting units were not getting their normal depth and distance, and some believed the balls they were using may have been deflated. An NFL spokesman said he had no knowledge of the Ravens filing a complaint."
Quick Hits
- Flacco has elite jersey sales. Flacco had the eighth-best selling jersey in the 2014 regular season, according to a jersey report by Dick's Sporting Goods, which is different from the jersey reports released by the league. Flacco's sales rank higher than Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger. He's one spot behind New England's Tom Brady. * *Meanwhile, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs ranked No. 9 among defensive payers and inside linebacker C.J. Mosley ranked No. 11 among rookies. [DSG.com]
