Declan Doyle's own brother, a defensive assistant coach for the Indianapolis Colts, was left guessing at what Doyle would cook up for his NFL debut as a play caller.
On Sunday, the NFL world got its first taste, and it was pretty darn sweet (except for the Colts).
The Ravens piled up 506 offensive yards, averaged a league-high 7.9 yards per play, and scored touchdowns on four of its first five offensive drives. The only drive that didn't finish in the end zone got there for a moment before a holding penalty wiped it off the board.
Needless to say, it was a successful debut, and Doyle is getting his (Zay) flowers.
Here's what we learned about Doyle's offense in Week 1:
Zay Flowers will be put in positions to succeed.
Flowers had 150 receiving yards in the first half before exiting the game with a hamstring injury.
Part of his success was the creative way that Doyle deployed him to get Flowers out in space and take advantage of favorable matchups.
The Colts have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Sauce Gardner, but Gardner matched up against Flowers just twice. Flowers hauled in a 12-yard reception on one of them. Flowers exposed second-year cornerback Justin Walley with 67 yards on two receptions across three matchups.
According to Next Gen Stats, Flowers has lined up out wide on 67.7% of plays in his career. Against the Colts, that number dropped to 36.4%, as Flowers was used much more in the slot where he could get free releases.
On his 54-yard touchdown, Flowers lined up in the backfield next to Lamar Jackson at the start of the play. That gave him a free release into the Colts secondary, where he ran what looked to be a choice route.
Jackson had a free blitzer in linebacker Jaylon Carlies flying right at him and used a pump fake to slow his rush for just a moment. Around the same time, Colts rookie safety A.J. Haulcy crashed down on Flowers, hoping for a pick-six. The pump fake also allowed Flowers to zoom by Haulcy, catch the sidearm throw around Carlies, and hit the jets in the open field.
Creative wrinkles kept the Colts guessing.
From the very first play from scrimmage, the Colts defense was on its heels.
Multiple Colts defenders were still talking and pointing to each other when Jackson snapped the ball just moments after each white jersey broke the huddle. The Raves faked a handoff to Derrick Henry going right, but the Jackson rolled out to his left.
Seven of 11 Colts defenders bit on the fake, leaving less help on the backside and Flowers with a 1-on-1 opportunity against Walley. Flowers won, made him miss in the open field, then nearly scored on a 49-yard catch-and-run.
Doyle broke out a wrinkle to finish off that first drive with a touchdown, sending left tackle Ronnie Stanley to the right side of the offensive line. The change drew the Colts that direction, and Jackson appeared to hand the ball off to Henry. Colts outside linebacker Arden Key brought Henry to the ground, but Jackson actually kept the rock and ran the other way behind blocks from rookie tight end Matt Hibner and veteran tight end Durham Smythe.
Downfield blocking was emphasized and delivered.
One of the tenants of Doyle's offense is downfield and perimeter blocking. It's paramount to hitting explosive plays and something Doyle stressed with players all offseason.
The fruits of that labor paid off in Week 1.
Tight end Mark Andrews walled off a Colts defender to allow Jackson to pick up a first down on his miraculous duck and run to avoid a sack. Rookie wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane helped Flowers get into the end zone on his 49-yard touchdown. Wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Chris Moore helped Henry score his third touchdown on a 32-yard run.
"Those are things you train, and you do drills, and you harp on, and show clips every day of the good and bad of that to make sure it is a major point of emphasis. You just hope that the first game, it really shows up," Head Coach Jesse Minter said.
"When you see that, now it becomes more of a habit when you get results because of that. The buy-in will just keep going up and up."
The offensive line played fast and physical.
Well before the season started, Minter said a team's identity is formed in the trenches.
While the Ravens were flagged for too many penalties, including six specifically on the offensive line, the run blocking was superb.
Baltimore revamped the interior of its offensive line and had two first-time starters in Indianapolis with center Jovaughn Gwyn and rookie Vega Ioane.
Facing a strong Colts defensive line anchored by veterans DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, the Ravens still exploded for 202 rushing yards.
Ioane was the Ravens' highest-graded offensive lineman by Pro Football Focus and got plaudits from across the NFL film-watching community.
