The Ravens, on paper, appear to be having another excellent season. But standings can often be deceiving. Despite their glistening 6-2 record, the Ravens haven’t quite passed the eye test this year, looking uncharacteristically sluggish, at least relative to the dominant form they showed last year in winning a franchise-record 14 games.
Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson has noticeably regressed, looking out of sorts in tepid performances against division rivals Pittsburgh (46.4 completion percentage, two interceptions) and Cincinnati (51.4 completion percentage, career-low three rushing yards), among other lowlights. Which begs the question, have defenses figured the Ravens out? Lamar sure thinks so.
“We’re going against defenses, they’re calling out our plays,” Jackson expressed during his appearance Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “They know what we’re doing. Sometimes stuff won’t go our way if they beat us to the punch.”
“You’re hearing on the other side of the line of scrimmage the defense calling out your plays?” a flabbergasted Eisen inquired in response to Lamar’s startling admission.
“Yeah, they definitely do. Like runs, stuff like that,” Jackson elaborated. “Watch out for this, watch out for that. Sometimes that’s what’s going on.”
Some interpreted the remarks as Jackson throwing his coaching staff under the bus. When asked to address Jackson’s revealing comments Thursday, offensive coordinator Greg Roman downplayed any perceived tension between the two, insisting that calling another team’s plays—or at least trying to—is standard operating procedure in today’s NFL. “Calling out plays on the defense is nothing new,” said Roman, as transcribed by ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “They're going to be right sometimes [and] they're going to be wrong sometimes. I think we know that. But that's definitely an element of the game. It always has been and probably always will be."
When an innovating team like the Ravens has success doing things a different way than the rest of the league, which was very much the case when Baltimore shattered the league’s single-season rushing record last year, the fear is that, eventually, opponents will catch on. Has Baltimore’s offense, commended last year for being fresh and creative, grown stale and predictable? “We're very aware of our tendencies," Roman acknowledged. "We're aware that there are some now and that's where it gets interesting. When you're good at something and you can keep pressing that button, then you have the opportunity to flip the script at some point moving forward."
If Jackson suspects an opposing defense is privy to Baltimore’s scheme, the dual threat 23-year-old could always audible out of the play if he chooses to. Of course, some coordinators grant their quarterbacks more play-calling freedom than others. “Some quarterbacks audible or have the freedom to audible every play. Sometimes that works out well for them, sometimes it doesn't,” said Roman, offering his insight on when teams should audible. “Some people don't do it at all. I would say we're somewhere in between there."
Are Baltimore’s recent struggles the product of vanilla play-calling, Jackson’s own regression, offensive line injuries (Pro Bowl tackle Ronnie Stanley was lost to a torn ACL against the Steelers in Week 8) or a frustrating hodgepodge of all three? It might be time for the Ravens to figure that out.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram