New OC Thread (Welcome Aboard Eric Bieniemy!)

[HigSkin]

Eagles are getting weaker and weaker at their assistant coaching positions.  LOL

 

 

[wit33]

42 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

@wit33 made a point yesterday that I made weeks back on this thread which is with the exception of a few coordinators, most fan bases crap on their offensive coordinator. 

 

It's certainly true.  If you want to have a pristine reputation as a play caller, then your best shot at that is don't call plays so people can tout your "potential."  Again few exceptions to that.  Kyle would be one of those exceptions but if you judged Kyle at the time he was let go here -- judging by some on the board and plenty on twitter, Kyle was garbage.

 

Speaking of Kyle, I recall in 2012 when times were still good, he, Bevell and Roman were regarded that year as the RO innovators.

 

I recall reading over time Roman as a candidate for HC when hailed as an offensive genius.  Now the Ravens fans don't like him and he's a moron.  But again I am not judging these guys based on that.

 

I am equally cool with Bienemy or Roman.

 

But why Roman?

 

A.  I like how he incorporates the QB with the running game.

 

B.  He's an outside the box thinker as far as the running game with funky personnel groups -- 13, 22, etc.

 

C.  I think its an easier way to ease Howell in a system like this -- go some RPO-RO take some pressure off of the passing game and let him evolve kind of like the Eagles did with Hurts.  Hurts threw in the low 400 attempts his first year as a starter and has gradually built to a higher number of reps.  but look at for example the Vikings with Kirk.  they have Delvin Cook yet Kirk throws in the high 500 attempts or more than 600 last year.  I'd rather develop Howell, Hurts style.

 

D.  If you want to win Ravens-Titans style where you major in running the ball.  Why not hire arguably the best orchastrator of that game?

 

I can find plenty of material on the internet to rip Roman, EB, or heck even Kyle.  Every offense has flaws, just about every team has down years -- coordinators strengths often are doubled edge swords and are also weaknesses.

 

If I dig enough I can demonize any coordinator just about as being awful.  So i try to balance the good and bad.  As for Roman, he's a dude as an NFL fan I've paid attention to over the years -- and lol for a good chunk of that tenure he was billed as an innovator - and yeah i am aware the Raven fans feel like he's a moron now.  I also think most coaches overstay their welcome, it gets tired over time and i think that's part of the narrative with Roman. 

 

https://russellstreetreport.com/2023/01/20/street-talk/even-greg-roman-fans-admit-he-had-to-go/

First And Foremost, The Results

Yes, results. Not how it looks or where the team ranks in passing yards, but the results that matter. The job of the offense is to move the ball, score points, and win games. Roman’s offenses have done that damn well over the years.

In Roman’s first two seasons as Offensive Coordinator, the Ravens ranked 1st and 9th in points-per-drive. The past two injury-plagued seasons, the Ravens offensive efficiency plummeted – all the way down to average. They were 17th this year in points-per-drive, 18th last year. That’s with everything going wrong, the O-line ravaged, the QB missing a quarter of the games, the Running Back corps wiped-out, Rashod Bateman missing games and Marquise Brown dropping passes, etc etc.

With all of that, the Ravens were middle-of-the-pack in scoring. If you add up all the drives and points over the past two seasons, the Ravens are 17th in points-per-drive. Perfectly average. I’m not saying average is the standard: of course it’s not.  But achieving average in the face of all the injuries is actually quite an accomplishment.

And of course, when healthy they were great. 2019 was probably the most fun regular season of my football-watching life.  2020 was less awesome but still very good: top 10 in points-per-drive, a playoff win. In 2021, through 11 games the Ravens were 8-3 and the #1 seed in the AFC, before Lamar got hurt. The first four games of this year the Ravens were a top-5 touchdown-producing offense. The highs for the Greg Roman offense were very high: remember the game vs Indy when Lamar put up 440 yards and 4 TDs?

The floor of the Roman offense in Baltimore was “average”, and the ceiling was the best offense in the league.

That’s pretty good.

I rather have a guy be elite at something versus average overall.
 

He’s been tasked with some extremely raw QBs from a throwing perspective, I imagine it’s easy for him to present how he wasn’t always to blame for lack of pass game effectiveness. My depth of knowledge on him is somewhat limited outside of having a rooting interest and directing attention to the outside the box thinking Ravens offense. 
 

I’m high on Howells dual threat run ability, so love the fit and your comparison to how Eagles developed Hurts is spot on. Howell seems to border on special in tight spaces with his movement, it’s almost like the “white slot WR” that’s able to get it done with option routes type quickness (Edelman, Renfrow, Welker). I imagine the Eagles model overall is being closely viewed by Ron and company, so has a chance to be replicated. One of the things we’ve been on same page on is exploring the dual threat QB option, might just happen. 

[No Nonsense]

That’s the only drawback of being good. Teams start picking your coaching staff apart. 

[FunBunny]

yeah. I'd like to have philadelphia's problems

[Skinsinparadise]

19 minutes ago, wit33 said:

I rather have a guy be elite at something versus average overall.
 

He’s been tasked with some extremely raw QBs from a throwing perspective, I imagine it’s easy for him to present how he wasn’t always to blame for lack of pass game effectiveness. My depth of knowledge on him is somewhat limited outside of having a rooting interest and directing attention to the outside the box thinking Ravens offense. 
 

I’m high on Howells dual threat run ability, so love the fit and your comparison to how Eagles developed Hurts is spot on. Howell seems to border on special in tight spaces with his movement, it’s almost like the “white slot WR” that’s able to get it done with option routes type quickness (Edelman, Renfrow, Welker). I imagine the Eagles model overall is being closely viewed by Ron and company, so has a chance to be replicated. One of the things we’ve been on same page on is exploring the dual threat QB option, might just happen. 

 

this is just a few years back before the Ravens fans decided he was a moron.  But he was a dude hard to miss following the NFL.  Touted as an innovator in SF and Baltimore until recently.

 

 

https://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/51434/greg-romans-wise-cracking-rise-from-high-school-coach-to-ravens-offensive-guru

 

Part of Roman’s innovation in the NFL came out of improvisation in high school. There was one game where one tight end was in detention and another was absent from school. Roman used offensive linemen to replace his missing tight ends, which might explain Roman’s current fascination with using as many big-bodied blockers as possible.

“It was definitely a risky and outside-the-box move,” Roman said of coaching high school. "But I had never called plays before. I felt like I had a good enough reputation that I’d get hired somewhere.”

Not many NFL coaches would take a high school job. But not many coaches have called triple-option plays in the NFL, either.

Taking risks and thinking outside the box have been staples of Roman’s offenses. After his one year at Holy Spirit, Roman produced as many creative wrinkles as points in his offenses at Stanford, the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills, the team the Ravens face Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

 

Roman has also built a reputation as the mobile-quarterback whisperer, designing attacks that put Colin Kaepernick in the Super Bowl and Tyrod Taylor in the Pro Bowl. He has worked that same magic with Jackson, constructing an offense that accentuates his unique talents instead of forcing him into a prototypical NFL system.

In Roman’s first season as Ravens offensive coordinator, Baltimore is averaging an NFL-best 33.8 points and is on pace to score the eighth-most points in NFL history (541).

"Greg Roman has inserted himself into the conversation of one of the great playcallers in the NFL,” said Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback who is now an ESPN analyst. "I love Sean McVay, I love Kyle Shanahan, I love Gary Kubiak and I love Matt LaFleur. A lot those guys are calling things that are somewhat similar. But the Ravens are doing something that is incredibly unique."

---

At age 22, Roman found himself on the same coaching staff with Don Breaux, who'd been the right-hand men of former Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs; Chick Harris, who had a similar relationship with former Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks coach Chuck Knox; and Richard Williamson, who worked alongside Alabama's Bear Bryant.

 

 

---

...Ask anyone in the Ravens' locker room to describe Roman and the common response: "He's a football guy."

Roman grew up going to Philadelphia Eagles games at Veterans Stadium. He even worked as a ball boy for the Cincinnati Bengals for a summer.

 

In his early teenage years, Roman spent some time with his uncle, writer Jack Clary, at Bengals training camp. Clary co-wrote the Bengals founder's autobiography, "PB: The Paul Brown Story."

Roman once said Brown served as his inspiration to get into coaching (and perhaps his knack for innovation).

"He’s all about ball and family," Ravens offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said. "I feel like if I’ve seen him in the grocery store, the first thing he’d talk to me about is running power and gap schemes and my footwork."

Roman is known for his expertise in formulating next-level run-game strategy. He understands how to gain numbers advantages and how to leverage defenses. The Ravens have totaled 2,494 rushing yards this season, the most by a team through its first 12 games since O.J. Simpson and the 1975 Bills.

 

What hasn't been as recognized is the way Roman builds up his players. Amid the zingers, he routinely offers words of encouragement, and no one on the Ravens has ever heard him yell.

"For me, I almost see him as a dad figure," fullback Patrick Ricard said. "He doesn’t get mad at you. He’s a disappointed dad. He’s going to get on you. He wants the most out of you. And when you mess up, he’s just like, ‘Come on, man.’"

---

The unpredictability and versatility factors are perhaps Roman's biggest strengths.

The Ravens can spread defenses out and line up Jackson in an empty backfield. They can also go "medieval" with five offensive linemen, three tight ends and a fullback.

“He’s got the biggest playbook I’ve ever seen,” offensive lineman Yanda said.

The difficulty isn't just trying to tackle Jackson and Ingram. It's trying to find the ball.

Baltimore runs the sprint option, the run-pass option, the triple option with pitch. There's misdirection with jet sweeps and the "Heisman package." That's not even including the fact no team uses more pre-snap motion than the Ravens.

With all that, defenses have had problems trying to figure out the Ravens' offense. The Ravens scored 37 points on the New England Patriots despite Bill Belichick having a bye week to prepare for them. Baltimore put up 45 points on the Rams and limited two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald to one tackle.

“What he’s (Roman) done such a great job of, is he’s adjusted the scheme to fit the personnel and to maximize guys’ opportunities to make plays and do what they do best,” Rams coach McVay said. “That’s a sign of a great coach.”

 

Another sign of a great coach is Baltimore's preparation and efficiency. The Ravens lead the NFL in scoring a touchdown on 37% of their drives and reaching the end zone on 58% of their opening drives.

"He's been about business," Jackson said. "We want to come smack the defenses in the mouth; that's what he's been telling us. Not just certain teams, but he's been saying that all year. That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to be aggressive this year. He's been showing it, and I love it right now ...”

One of the bigger offseason questions is whether the Ravens will be able to keep it going. If teams continue to seek out innovative, offensive playcallers, Roman should be a hot name in head coaching searches.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Skinsinparadise

[veteranskinsfan]

Roman would work as offensive coordinator for this upcoming lame duck season until the new owner picks

his new coaches.  When he was in SF they had a good running and passing attack.  Harbaugh was the Head Coach.

He has plenty of experience and he knows other coaches around the NFL.  He knows more about offense than Ron

does for sure.

[zCommander]

2 hours ago, MartinC said:

 

Lamar Jackson is a better passer than many seem to be giving him credit for. He threw for 36 passing TD's in 2019 - I would be asking Roman why Jacksons passing production fell (he was still completing mid 60% of his passes though) and how he would structure an offense which doesn't have an elite runner at QB.

 

Wouldn't lack or drop in the passing game be indictive of Lamar's ability to be a true passer though? The games I saw this year showed how inaccurate he is at times and his first instinct is to run instead of waiting for a play to develop. Matter of fact even the game commentator/analyst said Lamar needs to be more of a passer than a runner. 

 

This is why Roman might have a better chance here with a QB who is a good passer but also has the ability to run as well. He will also have BRob too. 

[NewCliche21]

Thank you @Skinsinparadise and @wit33 for going more in depth!

[method man]

2 hours ago, FunBunny said:

yeah. I'd like to have philadelphia's problems

 

The thing that could really hurt them is not only losing Steichen and Gannon but also several of the assistant coaches working with them. Reich's downfall in Indy was that he didn't do a good job backfilling Sirianni and the other former Indy assistants that left for Philly

[MartinC]

1 hour ago, zCommander said:

 

Wouldn't lack or drop in the passing game be indictive of Lamar's ability to be a true passer though? The games I saw this year showed how inaccurate he is at times and his first instinct is to run instead of waiting for a play to develop. Matter of fact even the game commentator/analyst said Lamar needs to be more of a passer than a runner. 

 

This is why Roman might have a better chance here with a QB who is a good passer but also has the ability to run as well. He will also have BRob too. 

 

I don't know - I don't watch enough Ravens games to have a good view on that. I will say though when I have watched Jackson I have not seen someone who is wildly inaccurate and I have seen metrics that rank Jackson very highly in drop back passes and 2 minute/obvious passing situations when play action wouldn't be as much of a factor. 

 

Its something I would want to explore with Roman to try to get to how much of it was lack of talent around him, how much was scheme evolution (the offense was still pretty productive overall) and how much was issues with Jackson around comfort with decision making and accuracy. I'd be most interested though in listening to his ideas around how to develop a scheme that fits Sam Howell who is a better runner than many think but is not close to the runner Lamar Jackson is and in an offense with a lot of talent at receiver.

[SoCalSkins]

Bieinemy has some serious skeletons in his closet from his Colorado days. I don’t see how they go in that direction with the cloud already over this team. EB in any other city would not get the scrutiny he will in this media market and the stuff with Dan it’s going to be a story and Ron will get asked about it. 

[HigSkin]

Don't know whether this is true but I have heard today that Petzing was on Gannon's radar.

 

 

[RWJ]

24 minutes ago, HigSkin said:

Don't know whether this is true but I have heard today that Petzing was on Gannon's radar.

 

 

I referred to SS's Tweet idea in an earlier post.   

Edited February 14, 2023 by RWJ

[kingdaddy]

4 hours ago, HigSkin said:

Eagles are getting weaker and weaker at their assistant coaching positions.  LOL

 

 

Gannon sucks....Eagles fans are ecstatic that he's leaving.

[redskinss]

18 minutes ago, kingdaddy said:

Gannon sucks....Eagles fans are ecstatic that he's leaving.

They were the number 2 ranked defense in the league with an offensive head coach so he couldn't have sucked too bad

[Hooper]

Is this Andy dumping EB on us like he dumped McNabb?

 

If I'm Ron, I have lots of questions. 

Just now, redskinss said:

They were the number 2 ranked defense in the league with an offensive head coach so he couldn't have sucked too bad

Gannon is so overrated.

 

Their offense dominated TOP all season. Plus, the defense played almost no good QBs. Look at the schedule. 

 

And my God, Philly's d in the Super Bowl was brutal in the second half. 

[No Nonsense]

1 hour ago, SoCalSkins said:

Bieinemy has some serious skeletons in his closet from his Colorado days. I don’t see how they go in that direction with the cloud already over this team. EB in any other city would not get the scrutiny he will in this media market and the stuff with Dan it’s going to be a story and Ron will get asked about it. 

Can you please elaborate on these skeletons because I keep hearing these whispers, but I haven’t heard anyone in the national media really bring it up. 

[Hooper]

4 minutes ago, No Nonsense said:

Can you please elaborate on these skeletons because I keep hearing these whispers, but I haven’t heard anyone in the national media really bring it up. 

 

Yes, please elaborate.

 

I know he was a disaster as an OC at Colorado, but never heard of anything off the field. 

[Conn]

11 minutes ago, Hooper said:

 

Yes, please elaborate.

 

I know he was a disaster as an OC at Colorado, but never heard of anything off the field. 

He was arrested like 4-5 times in like a 10 year period between his college and early coaching days, some violence and one case of harassment. It’s all out there, and I could be misremembering some of the details. It was 20 years ago but it was also an ongoing pattern for a while. Definitely not something to just handwave

[Wyvern]

This is what I found on the web -- I'm not responsible for its accuracy.  A lot of these incidents were a ways back in time.

 

Here's the link to the entire Article:   https://www.sportscasting.com/chiefs-oc-eric-bieniemys-troubling-rap-sheet-includes-a-disturbing-assault-charge-against-a-woman/  (I copied the section (below) to answer the question raised by No Nonsense.  That section below is in the bottom half of the news-piece.

±±++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Lost in his success with the Kansas City Chiefs is Eric Bieniemy’s rap sheet of poor decision-making:

• February 1998: According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy and teammate Kanavis McGhee after a bar fight. Bieniemy was charged with disorderly conduct and fighting in public, but he pleaded no contest. He and McGhee received deferred sentences and performed court-mandated community service.
• July 4, 1990: According to the Orlando Sentinel, Bienemy pleaded no contest after allegedly shoving a firefighter. The University of Colorado Boulder suspended Bieniemy for one game in the upcoming season.
• September 1993: Colorado police arrested Bieniemy, then in the NFL. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Bieniemy allegedly grabbed a female parking attendant by the neck and threatened her. The University of Colorado Boulder banned Bieniemy from its campus for one year as a result.
• April 2001: According to the Daily Bruin, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy on a DUI charge, three months after he joined the football staff as a running back coach. He previously had his driver’s license suspended after numerous violations. 
• Bieniemy was also linked to allegations that Colorado’s football program “used alcohol and sex to lure recruits.” ESPN reported in 2004 that the university discovered there was evidence of drugs and alcohol being used to “entice recruits,” but no university officials were guilty of misconduct.

Edited February 15, 2023 by Wyvern

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

8 hours ago, Zim489 said:

Thats exactly where I am. 

We know, brother. We know. 😆

 

Give me Bienemy first, but I think both Shurmur and Roman would be upgrades.

 

I think we’re gonna make a solid hire. 
 

Unless it’s Zampese. If so, I’ll be disappointed. It’s gonna be Zampese isn’t it? I hate this game. 😆

[ClaytoAli]

10 minutes ago, Wyvern said:

This is what I found on the web -- I'm not responsible for its accuracy.  A lot of these incidents were a ways back in time.

 

Lost in his success with the Kansas City Chiefs is Eric Bieniemy’s rap sheet of poor decision-making:

• February 1998: According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy and teammate Kanavis McGhee after a bar fight. Bieniemy was charged with disorderly conduct and fighting in public, but he pleaded no contest. He and McGhee received deferred sentences and performed court-mandated community service.
• July 4, 1990: According to the Orlando Sentinel, Bienemy pleaded no contest after allegedly shoving a firefighter. The University of Colorado Boulder suspended Bieniemy for one game in the upcoming season.
• September 1993: Colorado police arrested Bieniemy, then in the NFL. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Bieniemy allegedly grabbed a female parking attendant by the neck and threatened her. The University of Colorado Boulder banned Bieniemy from its campus for one year as a result.
• April 2001: According to the Daily Bruin, Colorado police arrested Bieniemy on a DUI charge, three months after he joined the football staff as a running back coach. He previously had his driver’s license suspended after numerous violations. 
• Bieniemy was also linked to allegations that Colorado’s football program “used alcohol and sex to lure recruits.” ESPN reported in 2004 that the university discovered there was evidence of drugs and alcohol being used to “entice recruits,” but no university officials were guilty of misconduct.

This dude went back 20 years a FoxNews ago.

[SoCalSkins]

23 minutes ago, No Nonsense said:

Can you please elaborate on these skeletons because I keep hearing these whispers, but I haven’t heard anyone in the national media really bring it up. 

Incoming freshman on recruiting visits were provided prostitutes and Bieniemy was one of the main assistant coaches in charge of recruiting. He refused to testify before the NCAA. He was banned from being on campus for choking a female parking lot attendant. He also had multiple DUIs. He also had multiple assault accusations. His whole past is pretty checkered. I doubt he ever gets a head coaching gig. Zero chance he ever gets one in college. 
 

Here is an article about why USC wouldn’t hire him and went after Lincoln Riley:

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/doug-gottlieb-blasts-critics-claiming-racism-is-keeping-nfl-assistant-from-top-job-argues-theyre-ignoring-real-reason-a-sex-scandal/amp/

 

 

[ClaytoAli]

Just now, SoCalSkins said:

Incoming freshman on recruiting visits were provided prostitutes and Bieniemy was one of the main assistant coaches in charge of recruiting. He refused to testify before the NCAA. He was banned from being on campus for choking a female parking lot attendant. He also had multiple DUIs. He also had multiple assault accusations. His whole past is pretty checkered. I doubt he ever gets a head coaching gig. Zero chance he ever gets one in college. 
 

Here is an article about why USC wouldn’t hire him and went after Lincoln Riley:

https://www.mediaite.com/sports/doug-gottlieb-blasts-critics-claiming-racism-is-keeping-nfl-assistant-from-top-job-argues-theyre-ignoring-real-reason-a-sex-scandal/amp/

 

 

He’d make a great coach in Dallass, what’s the problem?

[SoCalSkins]

Just now, ClaytoAli said:

He’d make a great coach in Dallass, what’s the problem?

He definitely would make raw meat for a ton of articles about how Snyder hasn’t changed and same old Washington. Why would EB even consider coming here? Literally anywhere else and it won’t be so prominent in the news. It’s a lame duck year and most of the stuff is from along time ago but in this day and age you never know what will be a story to blow up.