With every addition to the Ravens offense, Ozzie Newsome’s plan becomes more clear: The Ravens are trying to build an offense like that of the 2013 Chicago Bears. And why not? Under Marc Trestman, the Bears scored 27.8 points per game, good for second in the NFL.
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Guys like Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore, brought in since Trestman joined the team, impersonate Alshon Jeffrey as big, physical downfield threats. Kamar Aiken could be a poor man’s Brandon Marshall. Likewise, running backs Buck Allen and Kenneth Dixon do passable Matt Forte impressions, and they too were brought in after the addition of Trestman.
The Ravens have a lot to prove to measure up to that Chicago offense. Let’s take a look at the depth chart for each team to see how it stacks up.
On the whole, the Bears’ offense had stronger weapons at the top, while the Ravens are deeper and have a better quarterback. The offensive line play we’ll have to call a wash. The Bears’ line played very well that year, while the Ravens’ struggled last year but features at least one and probably two new starters.
Let’s take a quick look at the position by position breakdown.
At quarterback, Joe Flacco has a better track record than Jay Cutler and Josh McCown, but not by that much. Flacco has avoided turnovers for most of his career, while Cutler is notorious for flinging it to the other team. That said, Cutler has been a more prolific passer in his career, averaging 7.21 yards per attempt compared to Flacco’s 6.96 (a really bad number by the way). Cutler’s career high in passing yards of 4,526 absolutely dwarfs Flacco’s 3,912 yards as well.
Cutler is essentially a higher risk, higher reward passer. Flacco may be wildly inconsistent from game to game and even pass to pass, but he is less prone to self-destruction. Flacco has also not had the benefit of throwing to studs like Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery in his career. It’s close, but Flacco has the edge.
At running back, Justin Forsett is a poor man’s Matt Forte: A shifty, intelligent runner who can play all three downs. Kenneth Dixon showed similar traits in college, while Buck Allen is the most dynamic receiver of the group. Allen lacks Forte’s vision and blocking prowess, but the trio combined adds up to a fair approximation of Forte’s skillset. The Ravens’ ability to sub out a fresh back regularly should at least approach Forte’s overall statistical excellence.
Where the Bears’ offense trounces the Ravens is at receiver, where Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall formed one of the most dynamic duos ever.
The Ravens have their top two receivers coming off brutal injuries. One is an unproven player who has never played a down in the NFL, while the other is a 37-year old coming off a debilitating injury.
Kamar Aiken brings a modicum of stability here, and Mike Wallace was a nice low-cost addition, but it’s not enough to feel good about.
Chris Moore is a wild-card: A talented, explosive jump ball receiver who is a nice fit for the Ravens’ offense. If he can contribute and make the receiver rotation five deep, that would be a big boost to the Ravens’ deep passing game.
Similar to the running back position, the Bears had a better individual talent in Martellus Bennett, while the Ravens’ depth is perhaps unparalleled in the NFL.
Maxx Williams is the Ravens’ best chance to approximate Bennett. He’s the best individual talent they have at the position, and he is just scratching the surface of their potential. The big concern for him is whether or not he will develop, or even if he will be given the chance. The Ravens have so many tight ends that Williams may become an afterthought.
Crockett Gillmore is a beast in his own right but not a game breaker, while Benjamin Watson is a veteran option with some speed. Watson is coming off a career year but has been inconsistent from year to year in his career. Dennis Pitta could change all of this if he returns, but I find it hard to believe he could be an impact player again even if he is healthy enough to play.
There isn’t too much to say about the Ravens’ line, as unproven as it is. Offensive line play is not always consistent from year to year anyway due to injuries, chemistry and other factors. Regardless, the Ravens’ line will play a big role in the success of this offense.
That said, quarterback play is the engine that drives an NFL offense. Joe Flacco needs to pick it up, the way Jay Cutler and Josh McCown did in 2013. Usually, the longer a quarterback plays in a given system, the better he will perform. Consider the massive leap Andy Dalton made from year one to year two under Hue Jackson:
That’s not a coincidence. Transitioning from one offensive coordinator to another is tough, especially when it’s not a natural transition.
Then again, Marc Trestman has often experienced the opposite, seeing his quarterbacks, and in turn, his offenses, regress in his second year in a given job.Just look at his offensive rankings from year one to year two in the last several professional jobs he has held:
There’s no way around it: That’s concerning. I can’t begin to fathom why Trestman was so much worse from year one to year two in most of his jobs, but his past doesn’t necessarily predict his future in Baltimore. Even so, that usual regression is something to consider and be concerned about.
Regardless of Trestman’s track record, the Ravens have gone all in on adding players who fit Trestman’s preferences. Pass catching backs and big, physical receivers abound on the Ravens, just as they did on the very successful 2013 Bears’ offense. Now fans will have to see if those additions result in success like the 2013 Bears or failure like the 2014 Bears.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.