Ebony Bird
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Would Mike McCarthy be a good replacement for John Harbaugh?

By Chris Schisler

OWINGS MILLS, MD - MAY 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks to members of the media after a practice during the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp on May 5, 2013 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
OWINGS MILLS, MD - MAY 05: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens speaks to members of the media after a practice during the Baltimore Ravens rookie camp on May 5, 2013 in Owings Mills, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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Mike McCarthy and John Harbaugh are in very similar situations. Both coaches have had a lot of success but could be in their last seasons with the Packers and Ravens respectively. Would a coach swap make sense?

Sorry John Harbaugh, the Ravens are probably going to go into 2019 with a new head coach. The Green Bay Packers loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football puts them in a very similar situation. Both teams have very respected coaches who have a ring.

In the 2010 season, the Packers beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl (something Ravens fans are still grateful for). Last season the Packers went 7-9 and this season they are 4-5-1. To be fair, Aaron Rodgers got hurt last season, but Packers fans are frustrated with their head coach. It’s not quite on the same page as the Ravens post Super Bowl decline, but it may be enough to see McCarthy lose his job.

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The Ravens haven’t been to the playoffs for three straight seasons and the luster of Super Bowl XLVII is well faded. John Harbaugh’s tenure has gotten to the point where it’s just frustrating. This feels like the inevitable end of his time in Baltimore.

It may be a crazy thought, but the Packers and the Ravens have coaches that would probably do well in the reverse situation. Both are coaches with a history of winning. Neither coach would come in and cause a culture shock to their new team. It would offer both teams a different perspective, but a familiar structure. Instead of re-inventing the wheel, they would just get new tires.

The Ravens need an offensive minded head coach to take the offense up a notch. They need somebody who is good with quarterbacks to develop Lamar Jackson. Having a guy that checks these boxes and is a Super Bowl winning head coach, that’s just gravy.

There has been a lot of talk about the Ravens looking into the college football ranks to find their next head coach. The thing is though, that they’re not trying to get Jackson ready to play college football. We already know he can do that. The Ravens need to get a coach with vision that can tutor Jackson to be an NFL quarterback. Jackson has the talent and hiring McCarthy would be an investment in that talent.

Harbaugh is a good leader and he could be a stabilizing influence on the Packers. He would have Aaron Rodgers and the offense do their thing, but he would bring new focus to the Packers defense and special teams. Under Harbaugh, the Packers wouldn’t just be the Rodgers show. Think about what Harbaugh is used to working with. He’s usually had good defenses and special teams. If he fixes the team around Rodgers, the future Hall of Fame quarterback will do the rest.

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We know that Harbaugh and McCarthy are going to move on to other jobs. They aren’t done in coaching. It may be a crazy thought, but Harbaugh would make sense for Green Bay and McCarthy would make sense for the Ravens. Is McCarthy my first choice? No. Is he somebody who the Ravens should kick the tires on, if he is available? Yes.

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