Matt Cavanaugh laughs at the idea that the Baltimore Ravens’ offense has been overshadowed by the Ravens’ defense this season.
“We should be overlooked–our defense is that good,” Baltimore’s offensive coordinator acknowledged. “I’d look past us too.”
Under Cavanaugh, whose first offensive-coordinator job was with the Dave Wannstedt Bears in 1997 and ’98, the Ravens went through five weeks early this season without scoring a touchdown, then finished 14th in scoring for 2000–one rank higher than the Giants.
Cavanaugh, Dan Marino’s predecessor as the University of Pittsburgh’s quarterback, has directed the offense that quarterback Trent Dilfer has salvaged. The pivotal point came with the decision to insert Dilfer as the starter in place of Tony Banks when the Ravens wobbled through those weeks without crossing the goal line. Since then the Ravens have gone 10-1.
Now Cavanaugh, MVP of the 1976 Sugar Bowl and a Pitt teammate of Wannstedt’s, moves his guidance of Dilfer to a new level, to a place he and few of his players have gone. He was a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 1984 when they went to Super Bowl XIX behind Joe Montana. Ten years ago he wore a Giants uniform and picked up his second Super Bowl ring thanks to their 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Tampa.
“We’re going to the Super Bowl, so we’ve done something not many people thought we’d do this year,” Cavanaugh said. “Regardless of the statistics, when it’s all said and done, if they say we won because of our defense, so what? We still got the ring.
“Believe me, a week after that game is over, nobody’s going to say, `Gee, how did you win it?’ They just know that you won.”
Cavanaugh came to the Ravens with head coach Brian Billick after the 1998 season, after a second straight 4-12 year cost Wannstedt and his Bears staff their jobs. Cavanaugh had several choices, including becoming the Giants’ offensive coordinator.
Billick’s specialty is offensive football, but he has turned over the play-calling to Cavanaugh.
“Matt came into a situation where the head coach oversees the offense heavily,” Billick said. “That’s tough to do. But the fact is, I felt comfortable letting Matt call plays in our first season together. I wasn’t sure we could get to that point in our first season, but we got to it by midseason. He earned that respect.”
That respect survived the no-touchdown stretch earlier this season. Midway through it, a frustrated Cavanaugh walked into Billick’s office, sat down and asked, “What am I doing wrong?”
Billick responded: “Nothing. Just keep calling the plays you’ve been calling. We know they’ll work. We believe in the system, so just hang in there. Once we get the ball in the end zone, everything will lighten up.”
The Ravens did get the ball into the end zone, and kept on doing it, scoring at least 21 points in eight of their last 10 games, all victories.
The production is especially noteworthy because the numbers have come at a time during which Cavanaugh has throttled back the offense.
His approach has shifted from an emphasis on scoring to one of controlling games and avoiding mistakes.
But though Cavanaugh called more runs than passes much of the second half of the regular season, Dilfer is high on his handling of the controlled game.
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“He’s given me more freedom, and he’s much more positive in how he coaches me,” Dilfer said. “Those things feed my confidence and allow me to play with less baggage attached. Now I may only throw the ball 18, 22, 24 times here, but they’re all thrown aggressively. It’s a different mind-set when you’re throwing.”
Cavanaugh said he is not doing anything differently than he did when he succeeded Ron Turner as head of the Bears’ offense. His team is simply better.