Ebony Bird
FanSided

Ravens debates: Was keeping John Harbaugh the right call?

By Isaiah Stumpf

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 09: Head coach John Harbaugh (L) and owner Steve Bisciotti of the Baltimore Ravens look on before their team plays the Los Angeles Rams during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 09: Head coach John Harbaugh (L) and owner Steve Bisciotti of the Baltimore Ravens look on before their team plays the Los Angeles Rams during a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 3
Next
BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – NOVEMBER 18: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens looks on from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium on November 18, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Isaiah:

Four out of the past five seasons have ended without the Ravens in the playoffs. In those five seasons Baltimore has marched to a perfectly .500 record at 40-40. The biggest reason I believe Harbaugh should be let go is mediocrity. This team can never seem to get over the hump. They always lose close games or games that should have won. They’ve crumbled in play in games during the last two seasons. Now obviously Harbaugh doesn’t throw the ball or make tackles, but he is the brain of this team and I think the brain has run out of gas.

More from Ebony Bird

Harbaugh now lacks the ability to make this a playoff team every season in and out. The players in the locker rooms are his guys and that’s the way he wants it. Many accusations have come out from the likes of Ed Reed, Bernard Pollard, and Bryant McKinnie all suggesting that Harbaugh’s coaching flaws were hidden due to the fact that he had players such as Ray Lewis and Reed to be the voice in the locker room and leaders of the team. Coincidentally enough, ever since players like those mentioned above have left or were released from the team, the Ravens have had difficult times playing into January. Obviously, I have no inside information on what happened or happens in the locker room, I’m just voicing my opinion and pointing out the possibility that maybe Harbaugh isn’t as good of a coach as people may think.

On the offensive side Harbaugh decided to stick with Marty Morhninweg who has difficulty making adjustments within a game no matter the situation. Other than in the past five weeks with Lamar Jackson, Marty has struggled to create a dangerous offense with Joe Flacco. And with Jackson this style of play won’t last into next season. Teams will be able to figure out and stop this offense at some point. The only way to stop that from happening is to improve Jackson’s throwing capabilities and there is still a question mark on whether or not Harbaugh, Marty, and James Urban are the right guys for that job.

Defensively the team has a lot of average players that used to be stars in the league or are overrated. Guys like Eric Weddle, Tony Jefferson, and CJ Mosley are all average players in the league. But they are in Baltimore because they are guys Harbaugh wanted to be. They don’t have a loud voice in the locker room to challenge Harbaugh and his decisions. This is the way Harbaugh wanted things. He wanted his guys, so he could be the leader and I don’t think he is capable of doing that at a high enough level. At least not high enough to make this team a perennial Super Bowl contender every year.

Some may say the grass isn’t greener on the other side, but that can’t stop the front office from making that decision. Were the same things said when the decision was made to fire Brian Billick? 11 years later we have a Super Bowl Championship and countless playoff appearances. But every good thing must come to an end and that time is now for Harbaugh. I believe Lamar needs a young, offensive minded head coach and offensive coordinator to unleash his full capabilities. John Harbaugh should not be the coach of the Baltimore Ravens in 2019.

Home/Ravens News