After vowing to make creative additions to his staff, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh officially hired former Buffalo Bills and San Francisco offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Thursday.
Roman will hold the official title of โsenior offensive assistantโ while also becoming the tight ends coach. After working with the tight ends the last two seasons, Richard Angulo will now become the assistant offensive line coach.
Baltimore believes Roman will help revamp a running game that ranked 28th in rushing yards and 21st in yards per carry.
โI do not think that we are going to be successful putting the ball in the air 600-and-some times,โ owner Steve Bisciotti said. โIt is just not our identity, and I do not know how we got that far away from it. We did have some injuries on the [offensive] line in the middle of the year, and that may have skewed us the other way. But I want to run. I want to run the ball. I want to control the clock.โ
The Ravens ran a franchise single-season low 367 times in 2016 after setting their previous low of 383 attempts under former offensive coordinator Marc Trestman in 2015. Quarterback Joe Flacco threw a career-high 672 times while eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark for the first time in his career, but he ranked just 27th in the league at just 6.42 yards per attempt.
Despite being fired as Buffaloโs offensive coordinator in September, Roman orchestrated rushing attacks that ranked fourth or better in the NFL from 2012-2015. The 44-year-old spent six years coaching under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford (2009-2010) and in San Francisco (2011-2014), a reason why he had been rumored to join John Harbaughโs staff since the end of the regular season.
โGetting a veteran coach like Greg Roman to join our staff is a coup for the Ravens,โ offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg said. โHe is a very sound coach and a good team player who will help us build our offense.โ
Roman previously spent time with the Ravens as an offensive line assistant in Brian Billickโs final two seasons as head coach in 2006 and 2007.
NOTES: The Bills announced Thursday that guard Richie Incognito will replace Ravens guard Marshal Yanda in this yearโs Pro Bowl. Yanda was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl last month, but he will not play because of the left shoulder injury that forced him to move from right guard to left guard in November. โฆ With the Chargers announcing their move to Los Angeles, Ravens safety Eric Weddle used his official Twitter account to offer his support to San Diego, the place where he played for the first nine seasons of his career. Itโs no secret that the three-time Pro Bowl selectionโs departure from the Chargers was a bitter one last winter. โฆ The Ravens are now set to travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in 2018 and the Rams in 2019.
Ravens hire Roman as senior offensive assistant, tight ends coach
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
Podcast Audio Vault
Share the Post:
Right Now in Baltimore
Ravens list wide receivers Bateman, Agholor questionable to play against Pittsburgh
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman was spotted wearing a walking boot on his foot after hurting it in practice on Wednesday.
Stoked Schock says going back on stage again with The Go-Go's is always a thrill
Rock And Roll Hall of Famer Gina Schock of The Go-Go's tells Nestor the girls are head over heels about putting the band back on stage in 2025 as she prepares in Dundalk for a spring at Coachella and Cruelโฆ
When a Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore late season matchup has the big stage and high stakes
Luke Jones and Nestor buckle up the the holiday chinstraps for Steelers at Ravens for AFC North supremacy and the Christmas follow up as the Chiefs and Texans will factor into all of this before Santa comes down the chimney.โฆ