OWINGS MILLS Drew Lock Jersey , Md. (AP) — from first-year offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who’s rewritten the playbook to accommodate the peculiar talent of quarterback Lamar Jackson.Roman hopes the lessons learned during the team’s mandatory three-game minicamp will enable the offense to perform comfortably and efficiently at training camp next month.“Generally, the guys have done just a really good job of picking this up quick,” Roman said Wednesday. “We’ve got to keep grinding, keep trying to mine for gold as far as technique and being precise.”The process began in January, soon after Roman was promoted from assistant head coach/tight end coach to replace fired offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg. Coach John Harbaugh made the switch in part because Roman put together a very effective offense for quarterback Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco during the 2012 season.Jackson, like Kaepernick, has the footspeed and elusiveness to make things happen even when he’s not throwing the ball. After taking over for Joe Flacco as a rookie last season, Jackson rushed for 556 yards in a run-heavy offense, propelling Baltimore to a 6-1 finish and a berth in the playoffs as AFC North champions.Soon after the Ravens lost to the Chargers in the opening round, Roman ripped up the playbook and started anew.“We had to go back and look at everything from the ground up,” Roman said. “We looked at where we are and the vision we have for ourselves. We really kind of started from square one — how we call everything, the terminology we use, and how can we best utilize Lamar and the entire offense’s abilities?”A playbook designed for a drop-back passer like Flacco just wasn’t going to work for Jackson, who’s quick out of the pocket and almost perfect for the run-pass option. Although Roman began a complete overhaul after the postseason, the seeds of change began almost as soon as Jackson got his first start in November.So it’s not as if the Ravens are being asked to learn a new language.“It’s kind of a revamped version of what we did last year http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/dre_mont-jones-jersey ,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “It’s been kind of an easier transition, because we’re kind of going off how we ended last year.”Jackson and backup quarterback Robert Griffin III were both victimized by interceptions during Wednesday’s practice, but the results are insignificant at this juncture. Everyone’s wearing shorts, no one has pads, so it’s pretty obvious that the offense is going to pass.“When we move into training camp, there will be more emphasis on the running game,” Roman said.What matters this week is that the offense moves closer to absorbing the new playbook.“You can’t work the whole offense in three days, but we want to look like we know what we’re doing,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a new offense with, really, a new cast of characters — including Lamar, because it’s new for him, too.”So, what can Ravens fans expect from the new-look offense?“You’ll see some new stuff, some new stuff that looks like old stuff,” Roman said.Almost all of it T.J. Hockenson Jersey , however, will happen in up-tempo fashion.“We’re looking for quicker communication, the ability to play quicker at the line of scrimmage,” Roman said. “We can play slow, but we wanted to be able to really delve in to making things as streamlined as we could.” HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans chose offensive tackle Tytus Howard of Alabama State with the 23rd overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, hoping he can help protect banged-up quarterback Deshaun Watson.Watson was sacked an NFL-leading 62 times as Houston won the AFC South but lost to the Colts in the wild-card round. Watson played every game in his second year after having season-ending knee surgery as a rookie, but was hurt for a chunk of the season while dealing with a partially collapsed lung and broken ribs from taking hit after hit.General manager Brian Gaine said they became more impressed with Howard as the scouting process progressed.“I felt like with each interval he was able to pass each segment with flying colors,” Gaine said. “He made a very favorable impression as far the intangible profile, the person, the character that matched with the physical ability and the physical traits. We felt like he checked all the boxes.”It was the just the second time Houston had selected an offensive lineman in the first round. The last was left tackle Duane Brown with the 26th pick in 2008.Howard was a quarterback in high school before growing into his 6-foot-5, 322-pound frame.He said working with the strength staff at Alabama State helped him transform his body, and he got a little help in that area from his fiancée’s cooking.“My favorite would be her chicken spaghetti,” he said. “I used to eat that back to back nights. I’d eat the whole pan.”He has the versatility the Texans were looking for after starting at both right and left tackle in college and Gaine said he could also play both guard positions.He was named to the SWAC All-Conference team last season after starting 10 games at right tackle.“The way we look at Tytus is we see him as an offensive lineman … so he’s going to have a chance to compete for a starting role, I just don’t know what position it’s going to be,” Gaine said.The Texans had three picks in the first two rounds. They come a year after they didn’t have any picks in the first or second rounds because they shipped their top two picks to get rid of Brock Osweiler and trade up to get Watson in 2017.Howard can’t wait to begin working with Watson, who was the 12th pick in the 2017 draft.“I feel like with my athleticism I’ll be able to protect him longer since he’s more mobile and moves around a lot more Justice Hill Jersey ,” Howard said. “I feel like me and him are going to build a great relationship while I’m there and help win some games for the Houston Texans.”Howard’s experience at quarterback in high school gives him a unique perspective when it comes to protecting quarterbacks in his current position.“I know how being sacked feels, so I try my best not to give up any sacks and I try to play long as I can to keep the guy from hitting the quarterback,” he said.The Texans believe Howard has a high upside since he’s only been an offensive lineman for a few years and are looking forward to seeing him develop in their system.“He has the height, the length, the size, the strength, he lifted well, he ran well, he moved well,” Gaine said. “And then with our infrastructure here in terms of our strength and conditioning program, our sports science element, our player wellness, our training room, our nutrition program, he’s going to have all these great benefits to really maximize his potential.
