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Joe Flacco brushes off revolving door of Ravens offensive coordinators

BALTIMORE – Four years running, Joe Flacco has been fielding the same questions from a DMV line of reporters, and prepping the same standard answers.

Your offensive coordinator, Joe. What about your new offensive coordinator?

From Cam Cameron to Jim Caldwell, Gary Kubiak to Marc Trestman.

Joe Flacco (AP)
Joe Flacco (AP)

The Baltimore Ravens' quarterback shrugged it off Monday night. Part of the job. He's a veteran, so it's not the big deal it once was. In truth, Flacco has the ability to mold his offensive system nearly as much as his merry-go-round of coordinators. If anything, it's more of a recycled dialogue than a total culture change. Which is a good thing in 2015 because this is a Ravens team that looks remarkably balanced and Super Bowl worthy, despite having only five starters left from the team that won the championship in 2013.

"It's actually been good over the years, the opportunity to experience some different things," Flacco said. "In a way, it's really been all for the best. I've learned a lot of new things [with those changes]. There are a lot of different ways of teaching, a lot of philosophies. Over time, you get to take the best from each and then you put it all together and make the most out of it. … Of course, it's been [an open dialogue]. [Trestman] has been very open to all of those things."

Much has been made of Trestman being the guy who follows Kubiak, largely because of how their styles seemed to slant in slightly opposite directions. Kubiak anchored the Ravens last season more in the running game – a move that helped a struggling offense flourish again. Trestman has been labeled (probably unfairly) as turning his offenses into trigger-happy, pass-always juggernauts. At times he has chafed under that perception. This may have been why he made it clear early with the Ravens: this will still be a team heavily grounded in Kubiak's zone running scheme.

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History shows that is legitimate. To coach John Harbaugh's credit, if there is one thing he has done over the years, it has been hire offensive coordinators who brought different wrinkles – and who were often willing to retain aspects that didn't always fit inside their personal scheme. Harbaugh has also done a good job of bringing in high quality coordinators, too. So much so that it has made retention difficult, with Jim Caldwell and Kubiak both leaving for attractive head coaching jobs in Detroit and Denver.

"All of the changes [at coordinator] have been for good reasons, except for the first one," Harbaugh said, alluding to the Ravens firing Cam Cameron late in the 2012 season. "And those changes have all been for the better. Joe [Flacco] can appreciate that we're evolving and getting better at what we do. If it's better for Joe, it's just better. It's not like we haven't done things that have helped him."

Baltimore didn't stop there, either, re-tooling part of the offense to help suit Flacco's strengths. While wideout Steve Smith and running back Justin Forsett remain the cornerstones, the Ravens drafted UCF burner Breshad Perriman to stretch defenses. And they added Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams – an athletic tight end who is capable of playing out wide and whose skills trend toward that of Jason Witten and Dallas Clark.

The integration of those rookies into the offense will be important, partly because the Ravens will have to hang with the scoring-heavy Pittsburgh Steelers this season. But also because the defense is still working to grow and fit young and new talent. In particular, budding defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan will have to find a way to help cover the loss of Haloti Ngata, while the secondary fits underrated slot cover man Kyle Arrington in with top end talents Jimmy Smith and Will Hill.

"I think we're moving in the right direction," Flacco said. "But it's early. There is always still a lot of work to do."

Here are some other observations from camp …

Rookie playing a role

Defensive tackle Carl Davis. In terms of schematic fits, Davis looked like a heck of a third-round pick. And he hasn't disappointed, showing the ability to anchor against the run. Just from watching him in blocking drills, his power and ability to control blockers was evident. And he told Yahoo Sports following Monday night's practice at M&T Bank Stadium that he has enjoyed being immersed in the veteran culture of the Ravens' locker room – specifically experiencing the expectations placed on young guys and the willingness of veterans like linebacker Terrell Suggs to share knowledge. Grouped with Timmy Jernigan and Brandon Williams, the Ravens suddenly have a nice young defensive front that should give fits to running games.

Veteran fighting for a job

Linebacker Arthur Brown. Most NFL teams will give former second-round picks every last chance to fail. It's hard to cut high picks and admit defeat, particularly a guy like Brown, who was selected in the 2013 draft. But it's been two years of almost no production. He didn't play a single defensive snap in 2014, and wasn't activated in 12 games. That's bleak.

Now, Brown has bulked up and apparently shown some flashes in camp, including returning a Matt Schaub interception for a touchdown early on. But he still needs to show in games that he can diagnose and tackle consistently, not to mention drop and cover. In that vein, he got smoked down the seam by rookie tight end Maxx Williams on Monday night, who went for a long touchdown on the play. Brown can't afford many of those mistakes at this stage, particularly if he doesn't look like he can be counted on to get some rotational snaps in 2015.

Marshal Yanda (AP)
Marshal Yanda (AP)

Key guys in a contract year

Guard Marshal Yanda. He's going to get seriously paid. He could even slump a bit and still land the richest contract ever given to a guard. Coming off his fourth straight Pro Bowl and his first All Pro season, he is easily in the elite echelon of offensive linemen. Other teams salivate on the extremely rare occasion a mauler like Yanda hits free agency. The Ravens will push to get a contract extension in place before the start of the regular season. But even if they don't, I just don't see any way he doesn't get slapped with the franchise tag. He's too good.

Going for one extra point (OK, two …)

1) Two guys who still deserve your respect: Justin Forsett and Steve Smith. People are making a mistake if they think Forsett's big 2014 performance was a fluke. His quickness pops and he looks like a guy running more decisively – and more confident – than in any other time. His size will still draw critics, but he doesn't take the hits that bigger backs absorb. He'll be a lucrative offensive piece once again in 2015.

Steve Smith, second from right, is a man of the people at Ravens camp. (AP)
Steve Smith, second from right, is a man of the people at Ravens camp. (AP)

As for Smith, every year you expect him to slow down, but he keeps coming back. The 36-year-old looked as quick as ever Monday night, and just continues to surrender his body trying to make plays. He's a 5-foot-9 Terminator. Harbaugh said part of the secret has been Smith cutting down his body fat percentage nearly 5 percent since last season. He has always had the physique of a middleweight fighter anyway, and yet he is in better shape. He also continues to be tougher than most of the guys who line up across from him. He'll surprise again this year.

2) It was only one night, but I was more excited about backup quarterback Bryn Renner than Matt Schaub. Renner has an arm and definitely isn't afraid to sling it. He was the one who hit Maxx Williams with a dart on the tight end's deep touchdown on Monday night.

Harbaugh said Renner is still struggling with the game's speed, making faster decisions and getting the football out. I doubt that Renner will be taking over for the vastly experienced Schaub as the No. 2 quarterback, particularly in a season when the Ravens have Super Bowl aspirations. Unless an aging quarterback like Schaub is finished in the NFL, coaches lean to experience in those situations. That said, keep an eye on the 25-year-old Renner. He was a very good college quarterback at North Carolina until he was derailed by a shoulder injury as a senior. He might be a late-20s NFL bloomer.