I Guess It's Time To Go Find Yet Another Offensive Coordinator

 

So Gary Kubiak is gone. Elway wanted his man and he got him. Congrats John, you fucked us again! But more seriously, the Ravens knew what the score was when they hired Gary a year ago. He was always going to be a top head coaching candidate down the road. I was actually surprised to hear him say he was committed to sticking around as the OC so quickly after the season ended. But circumstances changed and this was the one job that was ever going to get him to re-consider. I ain’t mad at him, he deserves it. I’m just thankful we got a year out of him.

The part that stinks is that he’s taking QB coach Rick Dennison with him. Dennison was Kubiak’s OC in Houston and knows this offense inside and out. I’ll admit it was silly of me to even think that he’d stick around and not follow Kubiak wherever he went. They’ve been working together for over 20 years. That’s the nature of coaching in the NFL, you’re loyal to people, not teams. The hope in keeping him was that there’d be some continuity for Joe Flacco and the offensive line. They made leaps and bounds this year. They had all kinds of momentum going into 2015. And now it looks like that mo is coming to a screeching halt as Flacco will have to work with his 4th offensive coordinator in as many years. So the goal in making this hire should be to find someone who knows this west coast/zone blocking offense and can make the transition as seamless as possible.

The best available hire may have actually been Kyle Shanahan, a guy I prayed we wouldn’t hire last year. But he fits the profile for this job exceptionally well. I would’ve taken him happily at this point. Unfortunately, the Falcons saw the writing on the wall when the Kubiak news came out and quickly snatched him up. So who’s left?
 
 

Adam Gase: He’s the top flight candidate out there, and actually looked like he was going to get the Niners head coaching gig for a bit. He’s been the OC in Denver the past 2 years and has done an exceptional job despite their struggles down the stretch with an injured inept QB. Word is that he’s already been scheduled to interview in Baltimore. The Bears have a leg up in hiring him given his relationship with John Fox, and has interviewed in Jacksonville already. The other caveat here is that he’s one of those up-and-coming young coaches (36 years old) that would be sure to take a HC job the first chance he gets.

Marc Trestman: Say what you will about his disaster in Chicago, but his track record as a coordinator speaks for itself. He OC-ed Rich Gannon to an MVP and Super Bowl appearance way back in 2002, and has over a decade of NFL OC experience. He’s been linked to the Raiders job as well, but Baltimore is a more attractive option for him in my opinion. I think it’s safe to say he won’t jump ship to be an NFL head coach any time soon, so he’d be a good option in the interest of long-term continuity.

Kirby Wilson: Kirby was a finalist for the job last year. Was the Steelers RB coach for years, and was actually in line to be their OC back in 2012, but a freak  house fire put him into a coma. Real tough break to say the least. Spent this year as the RB coach in Minnesota. He’s coached the likes of Emmitt Smith, Curtis Martin, and Edgerrin James in his day, so he’s got that going for him.

Greg Knapp: Knapp has OC experience and most recently served as the QB coach in Denver under Gase. His track record indicates he’s committed to the run game, which I think is best for our football team moving forward. He spent 2 years as the QB coach under Kubiak in Houston, so he’s familiar with his offense. He’s a good fit, but I’d expect him to be a fallback if we’re unable to hire Gase.

 

I’m sure a few more candidates will emerge (Greg Olson, Rob Chudzinski, Jim Hostler) in the coming days, but these are the names that make the most sense to me. Ultimately I think Gase gets an offer and I’d be pleased if he accepts it. Despite his aspirations to be a head coach, you can’t be gun shy about hiring guys because of that. It’s a reality of the business. The Ravens have legitimate Super Bowl hopes the next few years here and can ill afford to settle for anything less than the best. Let’s go get Gase.