According to the Denver Broncos Twitter page, the football team has hired Gary Kubiak as their head coach. The Ravens offensive coordinator will also be bringing Rick Dennison and Brian Pariani from the Ravens coaching staff with him.

Though Kubiak recently made a statement that he was staying in Baltimore, this was before his “dream job” opened up. Kubiak spent 20 years in Denver and has been friends with Broncos GM John Elway for more than 30 years. The two have worked together as teammates and colleagues.

Even Kubiak’s youngest son, Klein, is working as an intern in the Broncos’ personnel department. He tweeted out a message saying, “Welcome home, Dad!”

There are also rumors that Adam Gase, the current Broncos offensive coordinator has met with Jacksonville and the Ravens plan to interview him soon.

This potential “switcheroo” move has interesting implications as the play-calling systems for Joe Flacco and Peyton Manning are strikingly different, with Kubiak focusing more on a play-action attack. And, of course, there are questions about Manning himself who could retire due to his declining health.

Kubiak and Flacco did make a good team, but let’s hope the new offensive coordinator—which has not been a stable position for the Ravens—sticks around for longer than a year.

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Defensively, both teams are strong as well, with San Diego ranked ahead of Baltimore, at 8th in the NFL in total offensive yardage allowed. Although, the Ravens (18.9) allow slightly fewer points per game than the Chargers (19.6).

So, here’s the key difference as the weather turns cold and the winter winds howl and the grind for the playoffs shakes out in late November and December: The Ravens rank 5th in run defense while San Diego comes in at 13. Offensively, the running numbers are more stark: The Ravens, led by Justin Forsett, rank 7th in the NFL in rushing offense while San Diego comes in at 27th.

Potentially, that translates into another big day from Justin Forsett (good interview here) this Sunday on the heels of his career-best, 182-yard rushing game in New Orleans on Monday night. A journeyman, third-string back coming into this season, Forsett has displayed tremendous patience and cut-back running instincts behind new offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak’s beloved zone-blocking scheme. In fact, Forsett’s averaging 5.8 yards per carry to date—far and away the top mark among leading NFL running backs—and is the main reason we think we are headed back to the playoffs and not San Diego.

Then again, Chargers fans can lay on the beach in January if their team doesn’t make the playoffs. So there’s that.

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Kubiak will
bring his former Texans’ offensive coordinator, Rick Dennison, in tow,
to coach quarterback Joe Flacco. (And Flacco’s back-up, of course.)

After interviewing coaches from both the pro and college ranks, the
hiring of Kubiak—who was also in the running for the head coaching job
in Detroit—will likely be viewed as an excellent pick up for the Ravens.
A longtime former NFL quarterback, Kubiak was a successful offensive
coordinator in Denver and directed successful offense teams during his
years with the Texans.

“We left no stone unturned in this search,” Harbaugh said in a
statement. “We are excited about the result and cannot wait to get to
work.”

Hey, the only place to go is up for the Ravens, who finished 29th
last year in total offense and dead last in average rush per carry.

According to the Ravens’ website,
the Kubiak-led Texans ranked in the top 10 of league offenses four of
the past six years and just outside the top ten in the other two years.

Kubiak had a health scare when he was carried off the field last year
after collapsing on the sideline during a game against the Colts, but
the 52-year-old coach now appears to have bounced back. Here’s hoping
the Ravens put up a ton of points next season and he has a (relatively)
stress-free year.

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