Ravens Fire Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman

Oct 10, 2016 at 03:03 AM

Ryan Mink

Editorial Director

The Ravens have fired Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman following Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Washington Redskins and a rough five-game start.

"After very careful consideration, I have decided to make a change to our offensive coaching staff and have replaced Marc Trestman with Marty Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator for the rest of the season," Head Coach John Harbaugh said.

"My obligations are to the team, the organization and the fans to be the very best team we can be. Today we find ourselves one game out of the division and conference lead after experiencing two tough losses at home. We will work to be better in every aspect of our football team. Our expectations are high, and we look forward to fulfilling them."

Mornhinweg, 53, was last an offensive coordinator with the New York Jets in 2013 and 2014. He was previously the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers (1997-2000) and Philadelphia Eagles (2004-2012), where he worked with Harbaugh on Andy Reid's staff. The 22-year NFL coaching veteran was also the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2001-2002.

Baltimore's offense has struggled mightily over the first five games of the season, and the unit's issues came to a head in Sunday's loss, in which the Ravens posted just 306 total yards of offense against the Redskins' No. 29-ranked defense.

"I think we have to find our offense," Harbaugh said after the game. "We've had that all year, basically. That's been the story of the season. We can't find continuity on offense."

After the game, quarterback Joe Flacco said the unit was “embarrassing” and “frustrating” and fans were booing the offense as it came off the field. Flacco said it was difficult for him to stay patient in the offense.

The Ravens were not taking many shots down the field, despite a bevy of weapons, and often settled for dump-off passes.

"Right now, we're playing to win on the last drive or have our defense hold on the last drive, and it's not a good formula," Flacco said.

The Ravens also strayed from the running game Sunday after it had immediate success. Baltimore ran the ball 11 times for 74 yards in the first quarter, in which the offense looked to be on track, but rushed just eight times for 44 yards in the next three quarters.

Hired last year after Gary Kubiak departed for Denver, Trestman oversaw an offense that had a multitude of injuries to its top players, such as Flacco, wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., running back Justin Forsett, wide receiver Breshad Perriman and others.

Baltimore was 14th in the league in offense last year, averaging 359.3 yards per game. The Ravens threw the eighth-most passes in the league despite Flacco going down with a knee injury midway through the year.

But when the weapons returned this year, the offense didn't take off. The Ravens are currently the NFL's No. 23-ranked offense, averaging 338.2 yards per game and 18.8 points per game.

"I appreciate and respect the efforts and contributions Marc has made to the team since his arrival," Harbaugh said. "Marc is a good person and an excellent football coach."

Mornhinweg will be Flacco's fifth offensive coordinator in nine seasons, following Cam Cameron, Jim Caldwell, Kubiak and Trestman.

It's the second time the Ravens have fired an offensive coordinator following a loss to the Redskins. In 2012, the Ravens fired Cameron after falling in Washington, replaced him with Caldwell and went on to win Super Bowl XLVII.

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1995-96: (with Green Bay) Mornhinweg began his NFL coaching career with the Green Bay Packers in 1996, where he helped Green Bay to a victory in Super Bowl XXXI as their quarterbacks coach. Mornhinweg helped lead QB Brett Favre to NFL MVP honors and a victory in Super Bowl XXXI...Favre threw a league-high and career-best 39 TDs.

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2001-02: (with Detroit) Mornhinweg spent two seasons with the Lions in his first NFL head-coaching role.

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2001-02: (with Detroit) Mornhinweg spent two seasons with the Lions in his first NFL head-coaching role.

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2003-12: (with Philadelphia) Spent 10 seasons with the Eagles, including nine (2004-12) as the team's offensive coordinator/assistant head coach...Under his guidance, 10 different offensive players earned a total of 17 Pro Bowl honors. In his final season with the Eagles, the offense set a then-franchise standard in completions (367). RB LeSean McCoy had a league-high 17 rushing TDs and finished fourth in rushing yards (1,309) en route to earning a Pro Bowl nod. Philadelphia set a franchise mark in total points (439, since broken) for the third-consecutive season, which helped Mornhinweg earn Pro Football Weekly NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors. The offense also set single-season records in completion percentage (62.0) and average per rush (5.4). In his first season guiding the offense, Philadelphia advanced to Super Bowl XXXIX.

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2013-14: (with New York Jets) Spent two seasons as offensive coordinator, helping the Jets rank third in rushing offense (138.7 ypg) during that span. Helped guide a rushing attack that finished third in the NFL (142.5 ypg) behind RBs Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson. C Nick Mangold earned Pro Bowl honors for the fifth time in six seasons. QB Geno Smith became the first rookie signal caller to start all 16 games in franchise history. New York's rushing attack finished sixth in the NFL (134.9 ypg).

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2015: (with Baltimore) Starting four different QBs (Joe Flacco, Matt Schaub, Jimmy Clausen & Ryan Mallett) for the first time in franchise history, the Ravens ranked No. 14 in total offense (eighth passing & 26th rushing). Mornhinweg helped Baltimore post the second-most total net yards in team history (89 short of 2014 record), finishing with 5,749 yards.The Ravens also set a franchise record by averaging 266.9 passing yards per game, thanks in part to a unit that allowed the NFL's third-fewest sacks (24).

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