For a number of reasons, Baltimore's 8-8 2013 season was a disappointment. Baltimore's demise rooted from their offense. Though the passing attack had its issues and obstacles, the rushing attack was an absolute train wreck. The team as a whole was 30th in rushing yards per game and the two leading rushers, Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce, combined for an average of three yards per carry. What is baffling is that both had solid 2012 seasons.
In 2012, both running backs were healthier, the offensive line was better and without injury, and the passing offense was able to take pressure off of the rushing aspect of Baltimore’s offense. 2013 was a different story. Rice was playing through a hip injury and Pierce was battling hamstring issues. In regards to the offensive line, left guard Kelechi Osemele was injured halfway through the year, new center Gino Gradkowski was horrendous, and right tackle Michael Oher had the worst year of his career. As if the situation was not already ugly, Jim Caldwell’s system and play calling was predictable. It did not take a football expert to catch on to Joe Flacco’s cadence of “Alaska, Alaska!,” which meant a run through the A-gap.
After a disastrous year, Baltimore made it a priority to fix what was one of the worst rushing offenses in the league. Due to Caldwell’s ineptitude, former Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, who helped turn Arian Foster into a star, was brought in as the new offensive coordinator. His zone running schemes allow for quicker, more agile running backs, like Rice and Pierce, to thrive. The system focuses on opening up specific parts of the field, as opposed to linemen blocking specific players. Running backs and linemen do not have to think as much. Instead, they simply play football. The less linemen think, the quicker they can get to their assignment. The less running backs think, the faster they can pick up yards. It is simple. Of course, Kubiak needs viable players to execute his offense.
To accommodate Kubiak, Ozzie Newsome added personnel to maximize the potential of the rushing offense. Center Jeremy Zuttah, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was signed to relieve Gradkowski of his starting job. Tight end Owen Daniels, who was with Kubiak in Houston, was signed to be Baltimore’s tight end No.2, who will be used as a blocking tight end in “heavy” and two tight end formations. To top it off, Newsome drafted another running back, Lorenzo Taliefero, for Kubiak to utilize. Taliefero was not the most talented running back of the 2014 class, but he is a downhill runner that fits Kubiak’s scheme. Along with the new additions, Baltimore will be seeing some familiar faces back on the field.
As stated before, Osemele missed the second half of the year. After a full offseason of rehab, Osemele will be at full strength once the season comes around. Likewise, now that Rice and Pierce can not play through their injuries, they have had the time to settle down and nurse their injuries back to normalcy. Having one of their best run blockers and two leading rushers back to health will make a tremendous impact.
In comparison to 2013, Baltimore’s 2014 rushing offense will be a polar opposite. They will start the year healthier (although Pierce underwent shoulder surgery in January), have better starters and depth at key positions, and use a simpler, more effective scheme. The improved efficiency of the rushing offense will also take pressure off of Flacco and the passing offense, meaning that the offense as a whole will be vastly improved. In today’s NFL, rushing efficiency has been somewhat disregarded, but Baltimore is and will be a prime example as to why that is foolish.