Rob Long: Who's In Control Of The Offense?
In his weekly press conference Monday at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, MD, John Harbaugh addressed the recent struggles of the Baltimore Ravens offense.
Harbaugh said his involvement was more general, involving himself in the philosophical aspect of the offense. He later said he doesn't call plays. He also said he called the quarterback sneak on fourth down. He doesn't call plays but he called for the quarterback sneak. I'm slightly confused.
John Harbaugh is the Head Coach of this football team and he has the right to call plays. That's not abnormal at all in the National Football League. It's only strange that he admits to calling a successful fourth down play but says he's not involved in the offensive play calling. Maybe I'm the only one who noticed this, but it leads me to ask, "What other plays has Harbaugh been involved with this season?"
That statement also makes me wonder what Jim Caldwell's involvement is in the offense and how much has it changed, if at all, from last year. Does Caldwell have the same responsibilities as he did during the Baltimore Ravens championship run of 2012?
Let's consider this, the Ravens have two experienced offensive play callers on their staff and one is Caldwell. The other is Jim Hostler, who was the Offensive Coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers in 2007. Hostler was highly criticized that year, largely for his inability to use star running back Frank Gore. Gore led the NFC in rushing the year before under Norv Turner.
Who's really in control of this offense? Maybe the better question is, do the Ravens have a legitimate candidate who can fix some of the issues that plague the offense, or is it time to rebuild?
