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          NFL Nation

          No one should blame Gary Kubiak for leaving Ravens

          • Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff WriterJan 19, 2015, 05:20 AM
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              Jamison Hensley is a reporter covering the Baltimore Ravens for ESPN. Jamison joined ESPN in 2011, covering the AFC North before focusing exclusively on the Ravens beginning in 2013. Jamison won the National Sports Media Association Maryland Sportswriter of the Year award in 2018, and he authored a book titled: Flying High: Stories of the Baltimore Ravens. He was the Ravens beat writer for the Baltimore Sun from 2000-2011.
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          Exactly one week after Gary Kubiak released a statement that he was remaining the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, he agreed to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

          Everyone should be ticked off at Kubiak for breaking his word to the Ravens, right? Not really.

          When Kubiak announced he was staying, he was withdrawing his name from the head coaching searches for the New York Jets, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. He obviously didn't know his good friend and Broncos general manager John Elway was going to part ways with his head coach one day later.

          Kubiak's biggest mistake was bad timing. His dream job -- perhaps the only one he would leave the Ravens for -- opened up after he made a nice gesture of publicly telling other teams how committed he was to the Ravens.

          Kubiak spent 20 years in Denver as a player and a coach. He worked closely with Elway as his backup, offensive coordinator and even roommate on road games. Kubiak came to the Ravens from Houston, but Denver is his football home.

          It would be surprising if anyone in the Ravens organization expressed any animosity toward Kubiak. Even though he was with the Ravens for one season, he wasn't seen as someone who would intentionally mislead the team. He was a straight-shooter, not a self-promoter. His only objective was to improve the Ravens offense, which he successfully did. This is why Kubiak declined any head coaching interviews while the Ravens were in the playoffs.

          Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith expressed the same sentiment with a post on Twitter: "How can you be mad at a guy who did his job and was rewarded with a dream opportunity that WASN'T available when he said he was staying?"

          Kubiak should be applauded for what he accomplished in his brief stint as the team's play-caller. For one of the few times in the Ravens' 19-year existence, there is excitement surrounding the Ravens' offense. Kubiak got quarterback Joe Flacco and the running game back on track. The Ravens finished with their highest offensive ranking (No. 12) in 17 years. He gave the Ravens their blueprint in how to get the offense clicking.

          The Ravens have to be disappointed that Kubiak's stay was all too brief. It's only conjecture now how Flacco and the rest of the offense would've progressed with Kubiak running the offense for a second season.

          When the Ravens play at Denver in 2015, it won't be a revenge game. The Ravens will simply be upset at losing a strong coach like Kubiak to an AFC team that has similar Super Bowl aspirations.