Ebony Bird
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John Harbaugh may need to go, but he is not a bad head coach

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 23: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field after the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 23: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens runs off the field after the Baltimore Ravens 23-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts at M&T Bank Stadium on December 23, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Baltimore Ravens fans are having a lot of fun talking about the future in their three game losing stretch; most of that proposed future talk doesn’t include John Harbaugh:

John Harbaugh has not been a bad coach for the Baltimore Ravens. He came in and gave Ravens fans the best five year stretch in their history. The Ravens went to the playoffs, won a game each year and won a Super Bowl. It was a lot of fun to be a fan of the purple and black. Now, the Ravens have come back down to earth and the magic of the Harbaugh era has seemingly evaporated. He’s not a bad coach, it’s just time to move on. It’s the classic “It’s not you, it’s me.”

The fact of the matter is that the magical run is over. He’s 95-66 as a head coach in regular season games. He’s 10-5 in the playoffs and honestly he should write a book about beating the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium (I’d read the heck out of that book). The problem is that since the Super Bowl the Ravens have been a middle of the pack team and there is no sign of a glorious return to being a consistent playoff contender.

Many would say that Harbaugh can’t get the job done without legends such as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. This is an oversimplified argument. Having two Hall of Fame players makes life easier, but Harbaugh ran an objectively good operation when Lewis and Reed were here.

Another oversimplified argument is the idea that it’s all Harbaugh’s fault. The Ravens have had clear misses in the NFL Draft (Matt Elam, Breshad Perriman and more) and their roster hasn’t been Super Bowl caliber since the Super Bowl. The Ravens defense has been good but has given up late scores that have killed the team. The offense has been frustrating for the most part. He may be under achieving right now, but we’ll only learn if that is true when he isn’t here.

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If you Google John Harbaugh, you will find article after article that dives into his future landing spots in the NFL. It would hurt to see him go to another team and start winning, but you know it’s possible. Harbaugh is a good front man for a football team. He knows what he’s doing. It was reported by Jason La Canfora that the Ravens and Harbaugh could have a mutual parting of ways in the offseason. This makes sense. Harbaugh needs a change as badly as the Ravens do.

The last several seasons haven’t been all that fun and I imagine that’s not lost on Harbaugh. He is stuck in a career rut. One of my biggest criticisms of Harbaugh is that nothing ever changes. That’s why “Same old Ravens” has become such a thing this season. It’s Harbaugh’s strength as much as it is his weakness. He is what he is, he believes it and it has mostly worked out for him.

When Harbaugh is gone history will see his time in Baltimore as a positive. Ravens fans must be honest with themselves. They were probably completely done with Brian Billick in 2007, but now they remember him glowingly as the coach of their first Super Bowl.

Next. Candidates to replace John Harbaugh (if needed). dark

I would argue that the Ravens need the same thing they needed when they let Billick go. They are not an organization in shambles, they just need somebody who can provide a new vision. That’s why coaches don’t last forever. Harbaugh’s vision took the Ravens a long way, but now it’s probably time for a new direction.

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