A new era began in
Baltimore when the Ravens hired long time special teams coach for the
Philadelphia Eagles John Harbaugh to be their third head coach in
franchise history. Harbaugh immediately brings a tough, hard
nosed approach that former head coach Brian Billick lost over the
course of his tenure. Billick will always be remembered for
making Baltimore respectable again in football. In his second
year, he won a Super Bowl and during his nine year reign he compiled a
record of 80-64 with two division championships. However, the
Ravens struggled every year offensively under Billick, and for someone
who was labeled an offensive guru, it was too much to overcome.
There was a perception that Billick also lost the locker room which is
the ultimate sign that a coaching change should be made. The team
lacked discipline and with Billick’s questionable decision making and
the Ravens disappointing season, owner Steve Bisciotti felt the time
was now to make a change.
Harbaugh coached the
Eagles special teams for nine years, and in 2001
was voted special teams’ coach of the year by his peers. This
past
season he was the secondary coach, but the criticism on Harbaugh is
that he has never been a coordinator. It is a risky selection by
the
Ravens, but they did their homework. Harbaugh is a well respected
coach throughout the league and has built a reputation as a great
teacher who gets the most out of his players. John Harbaugh
demands
respect and brings a certain level of energy and passion that his
players love. Harbaugh expects his players to work hard at all
times
and for a Ravens team that has been criticized for having too soft of a
training camp in the past, Harbaugh may be the perfect fit.
Coming off
a season where the Ravens went 5-11, Baltimore is looking for a leader
to help get them back to the playoffs and fighting for a Super Bowl.
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John Harbaugh comes
from a football oriented family. His father, Jack,
was the football coach of Western Michigan and Western Kentucky
University and an assistant coach at the University of Michigan.
Harbaugh’s brother, Jim, was a quarterback in the NFL for 14 years
playing for four teams. He is now the head coach at Stanford
University.
John Harbaugh was not the Ravens first selection to become head
coach.
Offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Garrett was, but he
turned down the offer to remain with the Cowboys. Garrett was
probably
the sexier pick because of his high-octane offense, and rumored
candidate Mary Schottenheimer might have been the safer pick because of
his track record. However, Harbaugh best fits what the Baltimore
Ravens need heading into the 2008 season. Former players can’t
help
but say great things about Harbaugh and the qualities he will bring as
head coach. In an article written this week in the Carroll County
Times in Maryland, cornerback Sheldon Brown was quoted as saying that
Harbaugh is "a very thorough guy who will have his i's dotted and his
t's crossed."
In the same article, former special teams’ player for the Eagles, Ike
Reese had nothing but praise for his former coach. "He's one of
those
coaches who has fire in his belly," Reese said. "He's a coach who will
get after you when he needs to, but he can relate to the veteran
players and the young ones. The players will love playing for him. I
don't know anyone who hasn't."
Harbaugh has not proven himself yet on the field as a head coach, but
everything he has said and other people have said about him, are all
signs that he is the right choice to lead the Baltimore Ravens this
point forward. |
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