ATHENS — Baltimore finally gets to meet Todd Monken on Tuesday.
One week after the former Georgia Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator was hired by coach John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens will hold an introductory news conference for their new play-caller at 2 p.m. Tuesday. If that introduction goes over half as well as it did at Georgia, the Ravens are looking at some high times ahead.
The 57-year-old Monken was Georgia’s offensive coordinator for the past three seasons. He helped the Bulldogs capture national championships the past two seasons.
While Georgia hates to see Monken go, the Ravens are not 100% sure about who they’re getting or with whom he will work. But the 34-year coaching veteran wasn’t chosen lightly.
According to Baltimoreravens.com, Monken was picked from a pool of 14 candidates, who were subjected to a total of 21 interviews, at least two of which were with Monken.
“Todd’s leadership and coaching acumen were evident from the beginning,” Harbaugh said in the Ravens’ announcement. “He has a proven track record for designing and teaching offensive systems that allow players to succeed at the highest level. We’re excited to get to work and begin building an offense that will help us compete for championships.”
The most pressing issue facing the Ravens, though, is whether Monken will work with quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens and Jackson are embroiled in negotiations either to sign the star quarterback to a lucrative, long-term deal, assign him with a franchise tag or trade him.
Monken’s acquisition would seem to indicate Baltimore is serious about keeping Jackson. No doubt the quarterback and play-caller would be an exceptional fit.
Jackson is one of the NFL’s more mobile quarterbacks, rushing for 4,437 yards and 24 touchdowns over the past five seasons. Jackson also has passed for 12,209 yards and 101 TDs (as well as 38 interceptions). However, Jackson’s style of play contributed to him missing five games each of the past two seasons.
At Georgia, Monken combined quarterback Stetson Bennett’s mobility (10 rushing TDs) with a tight end-oriented passing attack out of “12″ personnel that kept opposing defenses in run-pass conflict. Like the Bulldogs, who featured tight ends Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington, the Ravens also feature a talented tight-end group that includes Mark Andrews (73 receptions, 847 yards, 5 TDs) and Isaiah Likely (36-373-3).
Should Jackson decide to move on, Monken has proved adept at handling unsettled quarterback situations as well. When he arrived at Georgia in 2020, the Bulldogs expected Wake Forest transfer Jamie Newman to become their next quarterback. Shortly before Newman opted out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, JT Daniels showed up from Southern Cal. Redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis ultimately won the competition but was relieved by Bennett in the first half of an eventual road win at Arkansas.
Daniels took over midway through the season after Bennett was injured, then Bennett won the job back in 2021 after Daniels was hurt again. Four College Football Playoff MVP awards and two national championships later, Bennett and Monken proved to be a great pairing.
To his credit, Monken owned up to not immediately recognizing what Georgia had in Bennett.
“(Bennett) has probably been undervalued for his skill set,” Monken said before the 2021 Orange Bowl. “We tried to elevate guys with talent (over him), and we do that at every position. But some guys just combat that and fight and scratch and continue to play well and try to prove you wrong, and that’s what Stetson Bennett did.”
While it took Monken a while to warm to Bennett, Georgia’s offense showed dramatic improvement under Monken’s watch. After averaging 424.1 yards and 32 points in 2020, the Bulldogs’ production increased to 442.8 and 38.6 in 2021 and 501.1 and 41.1 last year.
Georgia averaged 408.1 yards and 30.8 points the year before Monken’s arrival. That represents a 33.4% increase in scoring and 22.8% in yardage.
Mike Bobo, Monken’s successor, will be hard-pressed to maintain such a rate of growth. The Bulldogs will start a new quarterback in 2023, with Carson Beck, Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton competing for reps in spring practice. They’re also replacing both tackles, the starting running back and a tight end.
Count Monken among those who believe Georgia’s offense remains in good hands. Monken often made a point to praise Bobo for his input this past season. Specifically, he credited Bobo for some specific concepts the Bulldogs employed against LSU in their SEC Championship victory.
Bobo oversaw the most prolific scoring season in school history in 2014, when the Bulldogs averaged 41.3 points per game.
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