kubiak

It didn’t take long, but Gary Kubiak has emerged from the list to become the next offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens.

According to the NFL’s Ian Rapoport, the Ravens will announce the hiring of Kubiak as coordinator in a 3 P.M. press conference.

The former head coach of the Houston Texans, Kubiak was fired after a disappointing 2-14 season, a team that was expected to emerge as a Super Bowl contender this season. He’ll get a fresh start and an opportunity to improve an offense that ranked 29th in the NFL in 2013.

He has the track record the Ravens desire being a former offensive coordinator in Denver from 2003 to 2005. Another important factor in this is his time in the past coaching some of the NFL’s greats under center – most notably, Steve Young from his time in San Francisco as Quarterbacks Coach in 1994 and Hall of Famer, John Elway during his time in the same role with the Broncos from 1995 to 2002, all of which is certain to help Joe Flacco with knowledge of the position.

What the Ravens sadly lacked offensively under previous coordinator Jim Caldwell was a true identity of the offense and creativity in bringing the most out of skill players on the team. The Ravens rarely used deception in their play calls, they rarely used receivers as pawns to get other receivers open on routes. The routes themselves were plain boring and it was time for something to be done about it as other top offenses continue to get better in the AFC.

Maybe it’s partly due to not having enough talent around Joe Flacco for him to succeed, or having Dennis Pitta injured nearly the entire season or having an offensive line play consistently poor and the running game struggle because of it. Beyond a change in style of play calling, all those problems were factors and it will now be up to Kubiak, John Harbaugh and the front office to bring in play makers that can make a difference.

Gary Kubiak’s identity of an offense is one of a sound and proficient offense. Jump-starting the running game with Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce will be a huge key, utilizing Torrey Smith as a deep threat will be a priority as well. Play-action, bootlegs and other plays designed for more intermediate yardage are things that will be seen in Kubiak’s offenses.

While it didn’t work well here last season, Kubiak utilizes zone-blocking schemes that helped turn the Texans’ Arian Foster into one of the NFL’s premier running backs. Above all, that could be the key to getting the Ravens back near the top of the league in total offense and establishing the balance that Harbaugh wants to see.

The move is a solid one for a team wanting to prove it belongs in the upper echelon of the NFL year in and year out. Whether it lasts long remains to be seen as Kubiak interviewed for the Detroit Lions head coaching job that ultimately went to Jim Caldwell.

A solid season in Baltimore could be a stepping stone for the former head coach but for now, the Ravens are thrilled to hire someone with experience who has guided offenses to Top 10 rankings before.