OTL: Monken Speaks on AFC Championship Loss

With a bunch of veterans skipping out on yesterday’s OTAs, the main focus was on what we heard from the coordinators after practice.

Tucker is here but a Bunch of additional vets not on field today. That group includes Lamar Jackson, Flowers, Bateman, Oweh, Madubuike, Stephens, Ojabo and Maulet. https://t.co/MITA71dfWt

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 23, 2024

It was both the first time that we heard from the new DC Zach Orr and the first time we heard from OC Todd Monken since the AFC Championship loss.

Orr, he didn’t say anything ground-breaking, mostly just praising his players. One particular mystery won’t be left hanging, though:

Ravens DC Zach Orr said he’ll be calling plays from the sideline this season. pic.twitter.com/sFIKx1COFX

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) May 23, 2024

We all have our preferences, but mine is that the DC should be on the sideline during the game. While I can understand OCs preferring the bird’s eye view of the action, when it comes to DCs, I need them to be involved with their guys as much as possible. Some of the best defensive head coaches around the league spent time as hype guys on the sidelines, such as Robert Saleh or DeMeco Ryans. I need that mentality from my DCs, as I feel that side of the ball feeds off raw emotion a bit more than their offensive counterparts.

Today’s main attraction though, was Monken, who was talking to the media for the first time since the AFC Championship.

First things first.

Monken on AFC championship game: “I’ve got to do a better job. That’s the way it is.”

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 23, 2024

Now, truthfully, the actual quote is a lot longer, and he said they need to run the ball better, but no matter what Monken said, his answer would never suffice.

Can we be honest for a second? Ok, let’s get real.

Yes, the game plan was awful, and there are a million reasons why things unfolded like they did. Monken probably saw something the Chiefs were doing and got spooked into not running the ball. Chatter about this game has resurfaced this week, because of this:

The #chiefs were shocked at how the #ravens abandoned the run in the AFC Title game last year. With the addition of Derrick Henry just feel like the plan in Baltimore is for that to never happen again. We’ll find out pretty early as the two square off in Week 1.

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) May 23, 2024

I find talking about this game exhausting. I don’t think going pass-happy was the game plan; I genuinely believe it was a combination of Gus getting stuffed a couple of times, the Chiefs putting together two long TD drives, and the coaching staff panicking.

Should they have run the ball more? Yes, but it still doesn’t excuse one central point: the players aren’t blameless, either. Even though they didn’t run the ball, the Ravens probably could have beaten the Chiefs had it not been for stupid turnovers. The Zay Flowers fumble and Lamar Jackson pick into triple coverage were the daggers. Maybe if they tried to run but got stopped constantly, it would have been easier to swallow that loss, but no matter what, it wasn’t just Monken or John Harbaugh that caused the Ravens a trip to the Super Bowl.

Don’t take this as me being a Harbaugh guy, either. I actually wanted him gone so that Mike MacDonald take over for him. I just think there is more nuance to the situation

By the way, the Niners did the same thing in the Super Bowl, but they weren’t criticized for it. Where is there criticism?

Sorry if that rambled, but I had to get that off my chest. Fans thinking that running more would have led the Ravens to a Super Bowl are mistaken.

Asked if the Ravens need to do a better job getting Rashod Bateman involved, Monken said, “Oh, for sure. I’ve seen tremendous growth. I expect a tremendous year out of him. We certainly could have done a better job getting him the ball more.”

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 23, 2024

Oh yeah, baby, I am ready to get hurt again buying the Rashod Bateman hype, and you can’t stop me. This could also mean we see him used differently now that OBJ is gone, and I think that is best for Bateman. He will actually benefit from less talent around him in the WR room.

In conclusion, nothing Monken was going to say about the AFC Championship game would satisfy the growing bunch of fans who want to burn down The Castle every time it doesn’t go their way. I am frustrated with how that season ended, just like the rest of you, but acting like running the ball more would have saved the season is wrong.

Let’s look ahead to 2024.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, Flock!

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