For the second time in four years, the Baltimore Ravens have fired their offensive coordinator during the season in an attempt to jumpstart a middling offense. The Ravens announced the personnel move Monday morning following the team's 16-10 loss to the Washington Redskins.
The latest victim is former Bears coach Marc Trestman, who took over the Ravens job back in 2015 and crafted the NFL's 25th-best scoring offense without the services of quarterback Joe Flacco. So far in 2016 with the Pro Bowler under center, Baltimore is 3-2 but only scoring about 19 points per game, or half of what the league-leading Atlanta Falcons are posting. Longtime offensive coordinator and current quarterbacks coach Marty Mornhinweg will take over play-calling duties.
In 2012, the Ravens fired Cam Cameron in favor of Jim Caldwell and went on to win the Super Bowl.
"After very careful consideration, I have decided to make a change to our offensive coaching staff and have replaced Marc Trestman with Marty Mornhinweg as offensive coordinator for the rest of the season," coach John Harbaugh said in a statement. "My obligations are to the team, the organization and the fans to be the very best team we can be. Today we find ourselves one game out of the division and conference lead after experiencing two tough losses at home. We will work to be better in every aspect of our football team. Our expectations are high, and we look forward to fulfilling them.
"I appreciate and respect the efforts and contributions Marc has made to the team since his arrival. Marc is a good person and an excellent football coach."
Added former Ravens running back Justin Forsett, who was doing a guest spot on Good Morning Football when news of the firing happened: "The offense wasn't performing like it could be. I guess the coaches, the powers that be, thought, 'Hey, we got to move forward.' I didn't see this coming, for sure."
As we've seen over the last few seasons, an in-season coordinator change can be a shot in the arm for a team not living up to its potential. The Lions swapped out Joe Lombardi for Jim Bob Cooter a year ago and saw a marked improvement in quarterback Matthew Stafford (even if the positive vibes did not carry over into 2016).
This year, the Buffalo Bills moved from Greg Roman to rising star Anthony Lynn and have gone from 0-2 to 3-2, with wins over the Rams, Patriots and Cardinals.
Mornhinweg was the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles from 2006-12 and the New York Jets from 2013-14.
At times, his play-calling has been considered innovative. The well-known "Marty Ball" moniker encompasses both his propensity for the West Coast offense and a high-flying passing attack that has produced some of the best big-play offenses in the league over the past two decades. In Mornhinweg's 15 seasons as a play-caller, his teams have finished in the top 10 in points and yards eight different times.
Trestman, 60, was the offensive coordinator for North Carolina State before a stint as the head coach of the CFL's Montreal Alouettes. He was the head coach of the Chicago Bears between 2013-14.
