Ebony Bird
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Ravens are heading into most anticipated training camp in a decade

By Jake McDonnell

NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells at a referee against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - NOVEMBER 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells at a referee against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells at a referee against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – NOVEMBER 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens yells at a referee against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Nissan Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

For the Baltimore Ravens, the 2018 training camp is the most anticipated preseason in a decade. There’s several reasons for this, and the first one focuses on the coaching staff.

Reason #1: Is the coaching staff actually on the ‘hot seat’?

The Baltimore Ravens have not made the playoffs three years in a row. In today’s NFL, that’s usually enough for a team’s owner to fire the head coach. Steve Bisciotti didn’t pull the trigger and fire John Harbaugh after a soul-crushing 31-27 defeat at home against the Bengals. That loss costed the Ravens a trip to the postseason. Aside from losing Dean Pees and promoting Wink Martindale to defensive coordinator, the Ravens’ coaching staff underwent little change this offseason.

You would think that missing the playoffs three straight seasons puts Harbaugh on the hot seat. No one really knows if that’s what Bisciotti is thinking, though. At Bisciotti’s season-ending press conference (a conference that Bisciotti, for the first time, did himself without Harbaugh, Ozzie Newsome, or Dick Cass), the Ravens’ owner said that firing Harbaugh “was certainly under consideration,” but not a move that Bisicotti felt he needed to make back in January.

How much pressure is Harbaugh really under?

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If the Ravens miss the playoffs again in 2018, Bisciotti will feel even more pressure than he did this year to make some changes. If the team fails to reach the postseason again, would Bisciotti let Harbaugh go after only working with Lamar Jackson for one season? That would be a lot on Jackson. Joe Flacco knows all too much about abrupt coordinator switches, but changing the head coach would be an even bigger change for Jackson to adjust to.

If there’s actually pressure on Harbaugh, would he feel more obligated to play Jackson if the offense struggles early in the season? Will the Ravens implement a more aggressive play-style, both on offense and defense? Will Harbaugh’s demeanor and attitude change as the season goes on? There’s a lot to think about. It will be very interesting to see if Bisciotti’s faith in Harbaugh spirals downward if this season does not go well.

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