In any business, when a formula for success consistently works, you don’t change it. Even if there’s a down year here and there, any CEO or owner worth his/her salt knows to ride out the rough seas. The sunshine and calm waters will soon return. It’s just the cost of doing business in a highly competitive world.
Such was the case for the Ravens in recent years. Even when they would occasionally fall short of expectations, the team’s decision makers knew that their tried and true formulas would eventually level things out. The NFL strives for parity, but some teams and general managers – like Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens – had mastered strategies that kept their team consistency in the upper echelon. If it’s not broke, no need to fix it.
But after missing out on the playoffs in 2013, sneaking in the back door in 2014, and a disastrous 2015, many – myself included – began to question those recipes for success in Baltimore. The NFL is constantly evolving, and the Ravens for the first time in quite a while appeared to be behind the curve. Unfamiliar territory for sure.
After falling short of expectations and amassing a 23-25 record since the start of 2013, would the Ravens begin to change, or at the very least tweak their approach? It took some time, but it appears they have.
Before free agency started the Ravens were adamant they would be active despite a lack of funds. Even with the anticipated Flacco extension the Ravens had in-house business to take care of. Deals with Justin Tucker and tenders to players like Kamar Aiken would eat up most of the little cash they had. It wasn’t long before we found out how they would free up cash.
The Ravens restructured contracts of team cornerstones like Marshal Yanda and Jimmy Smith. Ozzie Newsome has gone on record in the past saying that restructuring deals and pushing money into future years isn’t ideal, but he obviously saw it as a necessity heading into 2016. With the cap space the Ravens signed unrestricted free agents Eric Weddle and Ben Watson. Restructuring deals and signing unrestricted free agents that count against the compensatory pick formula go against the grain of the way Ravens usually do business. While these moves have taken them slightly outside of their comfort zone, this strategy gives them their best chance to win now. The Ravens have the mentality they can compete for a championship in 2016, and straying from their traditional ways gives them the best opportunity to do so.
Tony Lombardi pointed out yesterday that one Ravens source has indicated that Ozzie and the front office may shift their “best player available” approach to take into account the changes in the game, particularly the passing game. The Ravens have watched the Bengals and Steelers develop two of the best passing offenses in football, and they’ve been lagging behind.
John Harbaugh insists the foundation to his team’s success still stems from the ground and pound mentality. That running the ball well and winning the battles in the trenches opens up everything else. There is nothing wrong with sticking to that physical formula, but they’re wise to realize that the game has changed in recent years. If they want to maintain their reputation as one of the more successful franchises they’ll need to change with it.
Most people don’t like change, especially those who are successful. It took the Ravens a little bit of time, but they should be commended for recognizing that their approach, while still a very solid one, may have needed a tweak here and there.