What To Like And What Not To Like About The Marc Trestman And Marty Mornhinweg Hirings
So Tuesday Marc Trestman was announced as the OC in Baltimore. During a teleconference yesterday with Harbs and Trestman, it was revealed that Marty Mornhinweg would be joining the staff as QB coach…not a bad idea at all. Trestman follows the lead of Jim Fassel, Cam Cameron, Jim Caldwell, and Gary Kubiak as former HCs to take the reins of the offense. There’s been mixed success among that group, but it beats the hell out of the guys like Matt Cavanaugh we used to deal with. On top of that, adding another former head coach at QB coach can only help. Let’s learn more about these two gents.
What’s To Like?
Trestman has been labeled as a “QB whisperer”. He coached a 37 year old Rich Gannon to an NFL MVP and Super Bowl appearance. He and Steve Young also produced the top scoring offense in 1995. So we know what he’s capable of when he has a competent, coachable QB at the helm. Needless to say, Flacco is one of those. We also have a West Coast style offense, which Trestman is well versed in. He’ll be able to pick up where Kubiak left off and keep the momentum going. He’s been described by some as a coach who adapts to the weapons at hand. This went a long way towards him getting the job. On top of that, NFL teams aren’t exactly looking to poach 59 year old failed head coaches. So even if the Ravens offense goes out and lights up the NFL next year, he probably isn’t going anywhere.
Mornhinweg is icing on the cake here. He too is well versed in the West Coast offense, and has a long history of coordinating great offenses in Philly and San Francisco (he actually succeeded Trestman as OC there). Even QB coached Favre to his only Super Bowl. His presence can only help Joe Flacco. The only stains on his resume are an awful head coaching stint in Detroit over a decade ago and the dumpster fire he just had to endure with Geno Smith. Marty’s a good offensive mind- he’s had too much success to say otherwise. I would even venture to say every flash of success Geno had last year was because of Mornhinweg. So if Trestman skips town for whatever reason, Marty is an option immediately to step up and be the coordinator.
What’s Not To Like?
The Chicago debacle is first and foremost. I’m more than confident in Harbaugh’s ability to command the locker room and Kubiak didn’t need to be a rah-rah guy, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Bears offense fell apart a year after ranking near the top of the league. In fact, when you look at Trestman’s OC history, his offenses have a pattern of taking a step (or three) back after their first year. We’re in position to contend for a Super Bowl not just in 2015, but for years to come. This offensive line is young and has a lot of good years ahead of them. Joe Flacco is in his prime. I keep talking about continuity and Trestman being a long-term OC, but his inability to sustain success is a major red flag.
Another red flag is simply the fact that Trestman is pass happy. He said he’s committed to continuing the run-first mentality Kubiak established, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Mornhinweg is cut from the same cloth. Unless the Ravens go out and get a top notch receiver this offseason, the offense needs to stick to the ground and continue to make their money off the play action. Marty’s word is going to hold a lot of weight in this organization, so the concern is that they’ll collectively lose sight of the run game. Harbaugh is fairly hands-off with his coordinators, so we’ll see what develops there.
Overall these are both good hires. Multiple teams wanted both of these guys to fill coaching roles, particularly Trestman. Losing Kubiak was surely a negative, but hiring these two certainly softens the blow. Good things are coming on offense.