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Ravens: Why John Harbaugh must be the most thankful coach

By Chris Schisler

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates as he yells to fans in the last seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens celebrates as he yells to fans in the last seconds of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 25, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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Who has it better than John Harbaugh? Nobody:

It’s Thanksgiving and we all have a lot to be grateful for, especially John Harbaugh. He has had an incredible run with the Baltimore Ravens that started in 2008. Harbaugh took the Ravens to the playoffs for the first five seasons of his tenure. In 2012 the Ravens finally won the Super Bowl with one of the most magical rides to glory in NFL history.

Harbaugh went through a tough stretch after the Super Bowl victory. Things had gone stale. The Ravens were a middle of the pack team and the status of Harbaugh’s job constantly came into question. Now the Ravens are 9-2, with a new franchise quarterback and an unlimited amount of hope for the future.

When Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback it was the start of a new day when it came to Baltimore football. The one difference fans seem to agree on is that this team is more fun to watch than just about any Ravens team that came before it. After years of the same old thing, the Ravens have found new excitement and a completely different energy. Harbaugh seems like a different coach. It looks like he’s having more fun than he’s ever had before.

Harbaugh didn’t just have the Lamar Jackson experience happen to him. He had a part in building this. He wanted to build an offense around Jackson. He wanted to take on a project that a ton of coaches would have bulked at. Harbaugh worked with Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta to build the most unique attack in football.  Ravens are the hardest team for opposing NFL coaches to prepare for and it’s a huge advantage.

Harbaugh has been lucky to be in such a stable organization. The Ravens went on a stretch where they missed the playoffs four out of five seasons. Steve Bisciotti has never been an owner who has made rash decisions. There are owners in the NFL who wouldn’t have stuck it out with Harbaugh. Bisciotti never lost faith in him. Now the Ravens are back on the upswing and Harbaugh could be entering another stretch of years being a contender.

Harbaugh has also been very fortunate with the most important position in the game. Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback for almost 11 full seasons. He was a franchise quarterback who had a great run of stability. There are a lot of NFL teams looking for the right guy at the quarterback position. Harbaugh went from a very underrated Flacco, to Jackson. Jackson is the most exciting player in the NFL and he’s an MVP candidate.

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Harbaugh is one of the most tenured coaches in the NFL with a young team excitingly moving in the right direction. He is the head coach of a Super Bowl contender, one that he had a part in dreaming up. He’s been a part of one of the best franchises in professional sports since 2008. If anybody has things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, it’s John Harbaugh.

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