OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken said he is fully focused on the Ravens’ upcoming divisional round showdown at Buffalo on Jan. 19, even with two head coaching interviews in the next two days, and he lamented the coaching hiring timetable that inevitably falls in the middle of the NFL postseason.
According to reports, Monken was set to interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their open head coaching position on Thursday night and was scheduled to interview with the Chicago Bears on Friday. By NFL rule, any such interviews with coaches whose teams are still alive in the postseason must be conducted virtually.
The third-seeded Ravens face second-seeded Buffalo on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in one of the most highly anticipated games of this NFL season. The game pits the two front-runners for the league’s Most Valuable Player Award against each other in Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson and Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.
The winner advances to the AFC championship game a week later.
Monken’s name has percolated throughout this NFL coach hiring cycle after leading the Ravens to the No. 1 offensive ranking this season. The Ravens this year became the first team in NFL history to amass 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards.
Predictably, Monken’s job prospects came up at his weekly Thursday news conference, and as he did last week before the Ravens’ wild-card round win against Pittsburgh, Monken insisted all his focus is on the upcoming opponent.
He also recognized that the timetable of the search process is unfortunate but inevitable.
“Any of the work that I needed to do for any interviews that were going to come up during the season, I did in the offseason,” Monken said. “So all of my focus last week was on the Steelers, and all of my focus this week is on the Bills.
“I love the job I have. I really do,” he continued. “And I have a great job here. The way the system is set up is unfortunate, but it is what it is. But I’m excited to play the Bills. That’s where my mind’s at.”
Asked whether the NFL should delay all coaching interviews until after the Super Bowl so as to not interfere with staffs of playoff teams, Monken said, “I don’t think there’s any easy way, or they’d already be doing it. … It is what it is.”
Head coach John Harbaugh has not specifically commented on Monken’s interviews, but in the past he has encouraged his staff to seek such positions and said it’s a good reflection on the coaches and the Ravens organization. The Ravens last year lost three top defensive coaches, including defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who was hired away as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Monken, 58, has never been a head coach in the NFL. He came to Baltimore after serving as offensive coordinator at the University of Georgia, helping the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships. He previously served as an NFL offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay (2016-2018) and Cleveland (2019).
Monken’s lone head coaching stint came from 2013-2015 at Southern Mississippi. He took over a program that had gone 0-12 the year before, and by 2015 the Golden Eagles went 9-5, a record that hasn’t been matched since he left.
NOTEBOOK
FLOWERS REMAINS SIDELINED: Wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) missed practice again Jan. 16, leaving his availability for the Bills game very much in question. Flowers hasn’t practiced since suffering a sprained knee in the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Flowers led the Ravens this season in catches (74), receiving yards (1,059) and targets (116) and scored four touchdowns. He became the first player in franchise history named to the Pro Bowl at wide receiver.
Playing without Flowers against Pittsburgh in the wild-card round, the Ravens unleashed a ground-heavy offense that piled up 299 rushing yards on 50 carries.
Asked about compensating for the potential absence of Flowers in Buffalo, Monken said, “Hopefully, Zay will be able to go, but if not … we have a lot of really good players, and we anticipate them playing well.”
RAVENS STAY INDOORS BUT PUMP IN THE COLD: For the second straight day, the Ravens practiced in their indoor fieldhouse because the outdoor fields were frozen, but they tried to prepare for a cold night in Buffalo by leaving all the fieldhouse doors open and using fans to pump in cold air throughout.
The weather forecast for the game in Buffalo Sunday night calls for gametime temperatures in the teens.
Asked about playing in cold weather, Jackson said, “I’m trying to win, so it really doesn’t matter. I can’t go into a game and be like, ‘It’s too cold. I can’t make things happen.’ Coach would probably send me home. … I have to lock in in the cold.”
ROSENGARTEN GETS HIS GARRETT JERSEY: In a viral moment from the HBO series “Hard Knocks,” Ravens rookie tackle Roger Rosengarten asked Cleveland All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett if he could have his jersey:
Garrett’s No. 95 Cleveland jersey arrived at the Ravens facility, and Lamar Jackson first took it and hid it behind him while walking through the locker room. He then yelled across the room toward Rosengarten and tossed the jersey to him.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox