One of the losses that the Ravens endured last season that did not seem to get as much press took place off the field. It was the loss of offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.
Kubiak played QB for the Denver Broncos, backing up now General Manager John Elway who also happens to be a close friend. So it was no surprise that when Elway offered him the job he took it. In his first year he has them one game away from winning Super Bowl 50.
Despite Elway’s success, it was not until he had a run game that he won a Super Bowl. This certainly has not been lost on either of them. Given the amount of injuries that the Ravens endured, it’s hard to think Kubiak could have done a whole lot better overall than new OC Marc Trestman. However the run game would have been markedly better.
Kubiak fixed an ailing run game in 2014 and remained balanced in his play calling. The run game under Trestman never really got on track and often the zone stretch, a staple of Kubiak’s, was somehow lost on Trestman’s play sheet. To Trestman’s credit he kept Kubiak’s terminology and might have even enhanced some of the passing game but the run game always lacked. At times Trestman abandoned the run way too early even in close games.
Trestman would be wise to watch what Kubiak did in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. Despite a poor yards per carry average, he stayed with the run and remained balanced. This accomplished many things: eating clock, protecting Peyton Manning, keeping Tom Brady off the field, setting up third and manageable even if they only got 2 or 3 yards on 1st and 2nd down, eventually wearing down the New England Defense which gave up some big runs late in the game.
With a still questionable receiving corps and a QB coming off ACL surgery this season, getting the run game back on track is paramount. A better run game would put the Ravens in much better contention for the playoffs and who knows, it might even have them in Super Bowl 51.