Steve Smith has never been at a loss for words and he’s often happy to speak them. That didn’t change after the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. While there was much blame to go around, former Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith zeroed his focus in on offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
On “NFL Gameday” the day after Baltimore’s playoff loss, Smith critiqued Roman’s offense in some pretty specific ways. While it’s been almost cliche to blame the Ravens’ wide receivers for not getting open, Smith said it was really Roman’s route combinations that made it easy for opposing defenses. Smith was also bothered by the complexity of the offense, saying it’s something his six-year-old could run.
"My 6 year old, who is asleep right now, can probably run this offense as well."@CutToIt has some suggestions for the Ravens offense moving forward pic.twitter.com/kZ6lhPQI36
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 17, 2021
Smith does have a point here. Though stats only tell a part of the story, the Ravens had the worst-ranked passing attack in the league. And Smith isn’t alone in his criticisms of this offense.
Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner went through a few of Baltimore’s passing plays in the lead-up to the playoff game, also criticizing the Ravens’ route combinations. Former offensive lineman-turned-analyst Brian Baldinger had problems with Baltimore’s offensive playcalling as well.
While Roman’s passing concepts leave a lot to be desired, it is also fair to place some of the blame on quarterback Lamar Jackson, a porous offensive line, and wide receivers that struggle to get separation. It’s far from a single issue holding Baltimore’s offense back, but it starts with Roman. Whether the Ravens decide to go in a different direction this offseason or make a bigger push to become a better passing attack will have to be seen, but Roman has a pretty big target on his back right now.
