Easy Romeo

Haven't we done this before Ravens fans? Some pretty boy offensive guru comes along and we are suddenly going to become a juggernaut offense, our QB will be consistent and our running backs will actually have the ability to get us a first down if they run on 3 straight plays. Since the Ravens have come to Charm City I can only think of 3 times the media machine blew up when it came to a personnel change.

Starting with Brian Billick who, along with Marvin "and what felt like 14 other" Lewis', won us a title but I don't remember them erecting a statue of Trent Dilfer outside of M&T Bank stadium. Billick was the benefactor of the greatest deep threat known to man in Randy "Straight Cash Homie" Moss when he was with the Vikings. Moss led the league in TDs over 40 yards while Billick was the Offensive Coordinator there. He alone out performed the league with 14 in 1998. Second in the league that year in the team category were the 49ers with 13. That Vikings offense propelled Billick to the front of the head coach job market which brings us to 1999.We signed Billick. Our franchise was struggling to find its identity. Only a few years removed from Cleveland, we had enjoyed watching the great Vinny Testaverde, Jim Harbaugh and (gulp) Eric Zeier. Billick didn't solve our QB issues by any means. His first season we saw three starting QBs and even in our Super Bowl year in his second season we had two starters split time. We all know what his success lead to. Cough cough Kyle Boller cough cough. Our offense was stuck in mediocrity to say the least as they would never crack the top 10 in the league while the team's defense led by Ray Lewis (the guy who is having a statue erected next to Johnny U) carried the team. Don't forget Billick was also at the draft table that passed on Aaron Rodgers for that Oklahoma speedster named Marc Clayton.

That still bugs me to this day.

The next huge buzz we heard was, "Cam will save us!" Oh, you mean the guy who just led the Dolphins to that stellar first pick in the draft with their 1-15 record? I mean let's give him the job for the simple fact that we were the one victory that season. Sure. Remember he was that guy who developed our Lord Breesus Christ, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers into, wait for it, Philip Rivers. Under his tutelage his teams averaged 10 wins a season. However while they would make it to the playoffs I remember that his teams also never performed, never making it to the big game. Cam was going to change the face of our team to being a more balanced attack. We had always been a great rushing team but now we were going to punch you in the mouth then own you on a deep ball. Well he certainly kept the rushing attack alive only falling as low as 14th in the league which was during the 2010 season, his worst with the team. We were 16th in scoring, 14th in rushing, 20th in passing yards and 22nd in total yards. Most of his seasons were spent in mediocrity only cracking the top 10 in scoring twice. 2 out of 5 is great for baseball, but it gets you fired in football. The fun part has to be getting to watch the your team run on to win a Super Bowl without you.

No worries Cam, Jim Caldwell used that Super Bowl run to go coach the Lions. Enjoy LSU.

Since Caldwell's departure everyone was concerned that sweet talking Juan Castillo would somehow get the job. This is the same guy who talked Andy Reid into letting an offensive line coach(Castillo) be a defensive coordinator.So lets thank the football God's that Kubiak got fired! Now I know what one may think, this guy has been bashing everyone so far he's going to rip Kubiak apart. As a matter of fact, I'm not. Kubiak could turn me into a 1,000 yard rusher. You know, if I were to actually be in shape. One issue we had as a team last year was our ability to run the ball. We were 30th in the league after all .That had more to do with our line and injuries than anything else. Kubiak's system however follows this zone blocking scheme that Castillo teaches and as a matter of fact I suppose Kubiak is the Moses of. It was his teams that were the first to be overly successful with that blocking scheme. I feel like in Kubiak's career in Denver and Houston it didn't take a high draft pick or a ton of talent (Olandis Gary much) to become a 1,000 yard rusher in his system. During his 11 year tenure the Broncos won 2 Super Bowls, tallied up 66,501 yards and 465 TDs. The most in the NFL during that span (1995-2005). However don't compare what Kubiak has done in Denver with Elway to what he can do here with Flacco. The two QBs aren't on the same page, chapter or book. At least not yet.

Focus on Houston where he turned a franchise from an expansion team into a contender. The team was all over the place, inconsistent to say the least. The franchise didn't really see results on the offensive side of the ball until they got Matt Schaub from the Falcons back in 2007. It showed in their passing game that hovered around the top of the league including being the top passing attack in 2009. Honestly Kubiak's offense in Houston can relate to how a lot of people feel Joe Flacco's regular season has been. Inconsistent. A lot of ups and downs with the stats especially in the rushing game that everyone is hoping that Kubiak can improve. Breaking down the stats (passing, rushing, total yards and scoring) some areas are all over the place. The scoring numbers are sandwiched by 2 terrible seasons (2006 and 2013) where the team was one of the worst in the league. Forgetting all the issues the team had in those seasons whether it be injuries or Schaub throwing TDs to the opponent the offense still performed between the twenties. From '07 to '12 his were among the top offensive teams in the league. When they lacked a running game they had the top passing game. Finding an unknown stud like Arian Foster fixed that issue. Last season without Foster for most of it(eventually also losing Ben Tate, Foster's backup) the Texans were the 20th ranked rushing attack. 10 spots higher than the Ravens.

I'm not drinking the Kubiak Kool-Aid yet. I need to see some real game action to support my feelings toward this team and him. However I do think if the offense does perform and there are team issues that because of Kubiak's head coaching experience and Super Bowl pedigree that John Harbaugh has to stay on top of his game. Come see me midseason, hopefully I will have a cup ready to sip on that delicious sounding Kubiak Kool-Aid.