Ravens making change at offensive coordinator
The Baltimore Ravens will be making a change at the offensive coordinator position for the 2019 season. Marty Mornhinweg will be relieved of his play-calling duties. He was offered to remain within the organization in a different capacity, but declined to do so.
Greg Roman will be the Ravens offensive coordinator going forward. Roman served as assistant head coach and tight ends coach in 2018 for the team.
Mornhinweg has been the target of fan frustration this week after the Ravens 23-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card Playoff game last Sunday. The offense struggled for three quarters, before coming to life in the last quarter but was unable to dig out of a 20-point deficit.
Ravens fans will recall that Roman was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2012 season, the year they met the Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII. It’s likely that Colin Kaepernick’s success that season under Roman’s system was a plus for Roman in the hopes that he will be able to develop Lamar Jackson into a more well-rounded quarterback.
This is the Ravens press release:
The Baltimore Ravens named Greg Roman as offensive coordinator, head coach John Harbaugh announced Friday afternoon.
“Increasing Greg’s responsibilities will help us get where we’re going on offense,” Harbaugh stated. “His role with our offense has already been significant and substantial. His understanding of the run game we are building – which we saw some of in the second half of the season – and how it integrates with a consistent and big-play passing game is exciting.”
Coach Harbaugh also announced that former offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will not return as a member of the Ravens’ coaching staff.
“We tried to keep Marty, but he has decided to move on, and I respect that,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a really good coach and helped us win the AFC North last season and get close to the playoffs the previous two years.”
Roman, 46, is a 21-year NFL coaching veteran who spent last season as the team’s assistant head coach/tight ends coach. He re-joined the Ravens in 2017 as a senior offensive assistant/tight ends coach after his first stint with the team as an assistant offensive line coach from 2006-07. In 2018, Baltimore’s offense boasted the NFL’s second-ranked rushing attack (152.6 ypg) and posted the second-most rushing yards (2,441) in franchise history. The Ravens also produced a franchise-record 5,999 total yards, which ranked ninth in the NFL.
Previously, Roman has been a successful offensive coordinator with both the Buffalo Bills (2015-16) and San Francisco 49ers (2011-14). With each team, Roman worked with quarterbacks who totaled their highest single-season passer ratings under his guidance: Tyrod Taylor (Buffalo – 99.4 in 2015), Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco – 98.3 in 2012) and Alex Smith (San Francisco – 104.1 in 2012).
Roman has spent time with five NFL teams during his NFL coaching tenure, and during his time as offensive coordinator of the 49ers, helped guide San Francisco to three-straight (2011-13) trips to the NFC Championship game and an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII against the Ravens in 2012. While with Buffalo in 2015, Roman helped the Bills’ run game excel, as it led the NFL by averaging 152.0 yards per game.
In addition to his NFL coaching experience, Roman also spent two years in the collegiate ranks (2009-10), where he most recently served as an associate head coach/assistant head coach under John Harbaugh’s brother, Jim. (Roman also coached under Jim with the 49ers from 2011-14.)
Roman attended John Carroll University, where he was a three-year letter-winner and two-year starter on the team’s defensive line. A native of New Jersey, he and his wife, Dana, have three children: Connor, Gregory and Emily Grace.
