Ravens make big change, replace Trestman with Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator
The Baltimore Ravens made a change at offensive coordinator. They fired Marc Trestman and hired Marty Mornhinweg, who has been the team’s quarterbacks coach, to replace him.
The news was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, then confirmed by the team a few minutes later.
We replaced Marc Trestman as our offensive coordinator with Marty Mornhinweg.
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 10, 2016
The Ravens are 3-2 following a 16-10 loss to the Washington Redskins, but the offense has been lethargic. It has scored 94 points in five games — only seven teams that have played five games have scored fewer. Additionally, the Ravens are low in the NFL rankings in total yards, third-down conversion rate and offensive penalties committed.
Trestman was called the “quarterback whisperer” for his fine work with Jay Cutler and Josh McCown in his first year as the Chicago Bears’ head coach, but the label quickly disappeared when the Bears fell apart the next season in 2014. Trestman joined the Ravens as coordinator last season, and they struggled to score — although some of that can be attributed to a slew of injuries, including to quarterback Joe Flacco.
But it has been worse this season.
Sunday apparently was the final straw for Trestman, in head coach John Harbaugh’s eyes. The Ravens had a strong first drive led by Terrence West in which they ran the ball effectively. But after the first quarter, the team handed the ball off a mere seven times in the loss.
“I think we have to find our offense,” Harbaugh said after the game. “That’s been the story of the season. We can’t find continuity on offense.”
They believe a change can help, and it’s not like Harbaugh hasn’t done this kind of thing before — with great results, too. Late in the 2012 season, he fired offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and replaced him with Jim Caldwell. The move proved to be brilliant as Flacco led one of the best playoff runs for a quarterback and the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl that season.
Mornhinweg has been a coordinator several times before, most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets from 2006 to 2014. Although he, like Trestman, is regarded as a pass-first coach, Mornhinweg has typically shaped his offenses the way his different head coaches have wanted. The Ravens have had a lot of personnel turnover recently with injuries and suspensions, plus the release of Justin Forsett. Wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. also injured his ankle in the loss on Sunday and his status is not yet known.
“It is frustrating. I’m not happy,” Flacco said of his team’s performance Sunday in which the Ravens didn’t convert their final 11 third-down attempts. “It’s embarrassing to run off the field in front of your home fans, in front of your teammates.”
But the next time they run out in front of those fans, it will be with a new offensive coordinator.
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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
