There is a good reason that the Baltimore Ravens have one of the highest odds at winning the Super Bowl in 2021. Coach, quarterback, and offensive line are arguably the three most important parts of any successful team, and the Ravens are set at all three. Lamar Jackson is obviously great, and the fine folks at PFF believe that the Baltimore Ravens are set at the other two spots as well. According to their rankings, John Harbaugh is the second-best coach in the league, while the offensive line comes in at 12th in the NFL.
[pickup_prop id=”7157″]
Baltimore Ravens Have Second-Best Coach, Top-15 Offensive Line, Per PFF
John Harbaugh Comes In As Second-Best Coach
John Harbaugh has been nothing short of amazing ever since taking over in Baltimore. Despite constant changes on the roster, the former special teams coordinator has managed to consistently evolve his roster to remain competitive. While his career highlight is obviously guiding a Joe Flacco team to a championship, it’s what he’s done in recent seasons that truly show how great he is.
Adapting to the NFL is one of the hardest things for coaches to do. The league is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the trends is no easy feat. Harbaugh has demonstrated an ability to adjust to the times, as PFF’s Eric Eager notes that Harbaugh’s team-building philosophy, willingness to adjust his offense to Lamar Jackson’s strengths, and fourth-down aggressiveness are what truly set him apart from the rest of the league.
LAMAR RE-ENTERS THE GAME AND THROWS A GO-AHEAD TD ON 4TH DOWN
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/sGJXk6oI5E
— ESPN (@espn) December 15, 2020
The lone coach ahead of Harbaugh on this list is Kansas City’s Andy Reid. It’s hard to argue with this, as Reid has proven to be a fantastic offensive mind throughout his 22 years as a head coach. The one-time Super Bowl champion is arguably the best offensive mind in the league and always elevates the play of his offense. There is a very real chance that Baltimore and Kansas City are the last two AFC teams standing in 2021, and these two coaches are a big reason for the combined success.
Baltimore Ravens Have NFL’s 12th-Best Offensive Line, Per PFF
After a relatively down season, PFF’s Steve Palazzolo believes that Baltimore’s offensive line will bounce back in the 2021 season. The improvement starts with the return of a healthy Ronnie Stanley, and Palazzolo adds that Kevin Zeitler should bolster the interior.
Of course, Palazzolo also notes that there are a few major question marks along this unit. Without Orlando Brown, the Ravens will now have to put their hopes in Alejandro Villanueva at right tackle. Villanueva is a fine player, but he usually aligns on the left side. Only time will tell if he can handle life on the right side of the offensive line, but multiple players have made that transition in the past, so it shouldn’t be too big of an issue.
Alejandro Villanueva joked that he’d line up out wide to catch passes if the Ravens wanted. A 6-foot-9 TE in the end zone?
It’s not a bad idea. I’m here to speak it into existence.pic.twitter.com/Bi5G9Kh5Ka
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 5, 2021
Zeitler can solidify one of the interior positions, but he can’t do it all on his own. Bradley Bozeman is still set to start, and he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire while on the field. According to PFF, he was the NFL’s 36th-best guard in 2019 and 41st in 2020. He’ll probably move to center, which means an all-out battle for the left guard position. Overall, it is a solid unit, but there are a few weak spots keeping it from being an elite unit like in 2019.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
