Marc Trestman's Hiring As Ravens OC Is Drawing Grand, Lofty, Home Run-Hitting Praise
(CBS) By the end of a disastrous 5-11 season in 2014, Bears fans had had it with coach Marc Trestman. So when he was fired on Dec. 29, most around Chicago rejoiced, believing a new leader (and grower of men) was needed.
Three weeks later, there's rejoicing in Baltimore and praise in some notable NFL circles for Trestman's hiring in Baltimore as the Ravens' new offensive coordinator, which from a Chicago perspective can only be classified as puzzling.
Take in a sampling -- we didn't make any of it up.
"For about 48 hours, I thought one of the biggest losers in the coaching carousel was Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens. He had lost Gary Kubiak … But that's been at least solved now because they got Marc Trestman as the new offensive coordinator, and I think that balances things out. Trestman works so well with quarterbacks … Trestman's a good play-caller, he's very imaginative in what he is able to do and I think he's going to work well with Joe Flacco."
From the Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston:
It was a great move by the Ravens, especially since they entered the race late for landing a top offensive coordinator. Signing a coordinator of Trestman's stature gives the offense instant credibility again. The Ravens needed to make a big splash with this move after losing Kubiak, who helped the offense compile record numbers last season.
According to a league source, Trestman was the Cleveland Browns' and Jacksonville Jaguars' No. 1 choice as a coordinator, and was second on the New York Jets' list behind Chan Gailey.
"The Ravens are fortunate to land another coordinator who is just coming off of being a head coach," the source said. "Those opportunities don't happen often, so you have to give them credit. They pounced on him fast."
From SB Nation's Ravens writer Jason Butt:
For the second consecutive year the Ravens have hit a home run with their offensive coordinator hire.
This time last year, bringing on Gary Kubiak was seen as quite the coup, given the success he'd had the two previous seasons in Houston before the 2013 debacle. Not to mention Kubiak had been a success as an offensive coordinator in Denver for many years before becoming a head coach.
With Kubiak chasing his dream job, to return to Denver, the Ravens have struck gold again by hiring former Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman.
Trestman also has a cool, calm demeanor, which should mesh well with quarterback Joe Flacco in the meeting room. Trestman is exactly where Kubiak was a year ago. A brilliant offensive mind who endured a brutal year as a head coach and lost his job.
Trestman loves to attack downfield.
That should suit Flacco, one of the NFL's best deep throwers. Perhaps the Ravens will think even harder about adding another deep-threat wide receiver through the draft or free agency.
Analysis from the Ravens' team page on rotoworld.com
Smarting from the loss of Gary Kubiak, the Ravens have found the best possible replacement. Trestman proved overmatched as the Bears' head coach, but has worked magic time and again with quarterbacks, from Rich Gannon to Josh McCown. Trestman fell on his face with a stubborn Jay Cutler, but is inheriting a much more "coachable" quarterback in Joe Flacco. Trestman's arrival should ensure Flacco's 2014 rebound from a rocky 2013 is not a one-year phenomenon.
There's no doubt Trestman worked wonders offensively in his first year in Chicago, as the Bears ranked second in scoring offense.
There's also no doubt that Chicago was a disaster offensively in Trestman's second year and that he never developed the talented-but-turnover-prone Jay Cutler. Trestman even said as much.
We'll just leave you with these stats -- where Trestman's offenses ranked in the NFL in scoring in each season he's been an offensive coordinator or head coach.
1988 Browns: 19.0 ppg (20th out of 28 teams)
1989 Browns: 20.9 ppg (14/28)
1995 49ers: 28.6 ppg (1/30)
1996 49ers: 24.9 ppg (3/30)
1998 Cardinals: 20.3 ppg (15/30)
1999 Cardinals: 15.3 ppg (30/31)
2000 Cardinals: 13.1 ppg (29/31)
2001 Raiders: 24.9 ppg (4/31)
2002 Raiders: 28.1 ppg (2/32)
2003 Raiders: 16.9 ppg (26/32)
2013 Bears: 27.8 ppg (2/32)
2014 Bears: 19.9 ppg (23/32)
