Greg Roman used a bread-making analogy to describe how he's tackling his new role as offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.
Roman said during a guest appearance on the team's podcast, The Lounge, that the early process requires him to pull out dough and flour, then using a rolling pin to knead the dough.
The message seemed simple enough, as Roman is starting from scratch as he looks for ways to improve the Ravens' offense.
"We're literally redefining everything we do as a staff, as a group," Roman said, via the Ravens' official website. "Literally, everything: every formation, every route, every run, every route concept. How can we make this offense -- which up until this point has been good -- we're trying to make it as great as we can be."
Under former offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg the past three seasons, the Ravens' offense ranked ninth in 2018, 27th in 2017 and 17th in 2016.
Roman, who has served on the Ravens' coaching staff as a senior offensive assistant, tight ends coach and assistant head coach since 2016, wants to streamline the offense to make it efficient and easily understandable for players.
The offensive coordinator said there will be elements from last year's offense. The end results, however, remain to be seen with quarterback Lamar Jackson fully entrenched as the starter given the pending trade of Joe Flacco to the Denver Broncos.
"What's it going to look like?" Roman said. "It's going to look like how our players tell us it should look like. Obviously with Lamar at quarterback, it's going to be tailored towards Lamar."
Roman said the Ravens might add run-pass option plays, which should suit Jackson's skill set well. But there are other factors in play in the coming months before the Ravens hit the practice field with installment periods for organized team activities starting in late May given potential personnel turnover.
Free agency could see departures, as wide receiver John Brown and running back Alex Collins are eligible to hit the open market, while the NFL Draft will bring in new players. Both factors will play a large role in how Roman goes about installing the offense.
"A lot of it will depend on how the roster gets shaped," Roman said. "This is a big year for Lamar and his development, but it's also a big year for [offensive tackle] Orlando Brown. Can we run behind him? Can we pull him more? Can we pull our left guard, our right guard?
"All that stuff will add up to it. What's our deep threat look like? Will we be able to attack people at the third level? I think a lot of those things will go into it. But I think what we did the last half of last year, you'll definitely see elements of that."
In the meantime, it is still very early during the offseason months and the earliest look at the Ravens offense under a new offensive coordinator won't come until OTAs.
The entire picture won't clear until the pads come on in training camp, but given what Roman has pointed to, how goes Jackson in his second professional season go the Ravens.
"Fundamentally is where he needs to make his most strides, and obviously once he gets working with his guys, building that rapport, chemistry and relationship in real time, that's big, too," Roman said. "But I would rather have a guy that can see the field, that can see things, and is mechanically, fundamentally progressing than the guy that is really good mechanically, but can't see the field. That's a big, big thing."
