Change is inevitable in life, and every season has its purpose. For Cleveland Browns HC Todd Monken, his time with the Baltimore Ravens was a time full of a lot of success, but ultimately, the team was unable to win a Super Bowl during his time as offensive coordinator.
Having QB Lamar Jackson on the roster makes that statement a bigger deal. The Ravens were often preseason favorites, not just for the AFC North but also for the Super Bowl. In three seasons in Baltimore as a part of John Harbaugh’s
staff, Monken saw Jackson flourish, including winning the NFL’s MVP award in 2023. Unfortunately, the Ravens could only score 10 points against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, falling by seven points.
Monken discussed that failure at length at the end of the Browns minicamp:
“We didn’t run it enough,” he said. “It’s not the number of runs. We didn’t attack them downhill. We were lateral. Then we were behind, and we started throwing it. We didn’t think they’d stay at 17 [points]. At some point, we thought, f—, if they score again, we’re three possessions down.”
Cleveland’s head coach noted that his experience at Georgia, where QB Stetson Bennett passed the Bulldogs back into the National Championship Game, lingered in the back of his mind when deciding to throw the ball and only run it 16 times, including just six for his running backs in that game.
Ultimately, Monken noted that Harbaugh and the staff were fired for failing to get the players to play their best, including Jackson:
“I didn’t coach well enough,” Monken said again. “I didn’t get Lamar to play at his best when the best was needed.
The Browns coach also noted his no-nonsense, “little brash” approach, while “authentic” may rub some players the wrong way and be why he has been passed over for head coaching jobs in the past. Monken notes that he doesn’t expect perfection from himself but has seen improvements and is focused on the most important thing, winning:
“At times I did a great job of it [in Baltimore], and at times I didn’t. Same at Georgia. Same will happen here. I’ve gotten better and better at it, and that’s from working for Kirby [Smart] and for John. To confront anything that gets in the way of winning, and that’s internally and externally.”
In the end, “everything has a shelf life,” as Monken noted about his departure from Baltimore. Cleveland’s coach noted getting a text from Jackson after he was hired by the Browns, highlighting his joking but competitive nature:
After receiving Jackson’s congratulatory text when he was hired, Monken replied, thanking him for the three years they had shared and telling him he wouldn’t have gotten the job without him.
“Then I said, ‘go f— yourself,’” Monken said. “We are going to blitz you every third down. He laughed.”
What lessons do you think Monken learned from his time with the Ravens and with Lamar Jackson?
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