The Ravens franchise quarterback is entering another season with a new offensive coordinator, his fourth play caller in as many years. Marc Trestman is now at the helm, and the former head coach of the Chicago Bears has quickly hit it off with his new quarterback.
“Marc has been really good and we’ve been working together,” Flacco said after a recent voluntary offseason practice. “We’ve been communicating really well, so it’s been a lot of fun.”
Trestman came to Baltimore with a strong reputation for his work with quarterbacks. The 59-year-old coach has been an offensive play caller or quarterbacks coach throughout his career, and his success with signal callers has earned him the nickname, “the quarterback whisperer.”
Trestman is known for his cerebral approach to the game, and he’s already established clear communication with Flacco.
“We’re not going to have any issues,” Flacco said. “I think we’re going to be able to be honest with each other. Those are the things that I’m looking forward to. We’ll have an open line of communication and not have one side or the other be afraid to be honest and say what they feel.
“I think that together we have a very good outlook on things, and we’ll be able to do all of those things. I think when you can do that you’ll be able to get past certain hurdles.”
Trestman took over the coordinator job when Gary Kubiak left to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos. Kubiak installed his West Coast system during his one season in Baltimore last year, and the Ravens enjoyed their best offensive production in team history.
The Ravens have kept the same system during the transition to Trestman, and Flacco said he expects the group to be even better despite new coaching personnel.
“It’s been a little bit of a change, but they run similar offenses so it’s not too big of a deal,” Flacco said. “We’re just trying to figure out what kind of concepts we want to keep and what kind of things we want to do new.”
To help streamline the transition, Flacco has been a regular participant throughout voluntary offseason workouts. He’s also present to build the relationship with Trestman and new Quarterbacks Coach Marty Mornhinweg, while also developing a rapport with rookie targets like receiver
“The biggest thing is getting a feel for each other’s personalities, how we like to operate. You can do that in the meeting room to a certain extent, but it’s been great to be out there on the field the last couple weeks, and try to get a feel for him, Marty and that environment,” Flacco said.
“That gives them a better perspective on who we are as a team, who I am. It gives me a better perspective on who they are and how they like to coach. I think that stuff is huge.”
