John Harbaugh press conference: 3 big things to think about

John Harbaugh had his end of the year press conference today. Here are three reactions from what the Baltimore Ravens head coach had to say:

1. John Harbaugh is as excited for next season as he is disappointed in the playoff loss:

The first thing that stands out from this press conference is how positive John Harbaugh was. It may have taken him a while to get in the right space, but he certainly seemed appreciative of a 14-2 season and the hope for a bright future. He didn’t shy away from how hard of a pill that playoff loss was to swallow. This is what he said.

"“It’s been a tough week, it’s been a rough emotional week, for all of us. I mean I know the fans feel that way, and I hope the fans know how we feel about it, I mean it hurts. It’s disappointing, it was a gut shot”"

Harbaugh then talked about how hard it is to win the Super Bowl and how only one team ends up the champion. Harbaugh looked and sounded like a coach who has had some time to collect himself and get himself in the right mindset. It’s often said that teams are a reflection of their head coach. It would behoove the Ravens, as a whole, to adopt a similar outlook as Harbaugh.

He followed it up with this:

"“Going forward, I’m excited about our team. I mean look at what we got. All three phases. And I know we also have a very good understanding of what it’s going to take to get better. and to improve and I’m excited about it.”"

Harbaugh was asked to expand on the “What it’s going to take,” component of his answer. He talked about how the Ravens need to improve. His point summed up was that they know the positions they need to get better at and because the organization is so strong and the coaching staff was sticking around, they know how to go about an offseason with more cap space than usual and a good allotment of draft picks. Harbaugh also added that the Ravens want to keep working on building on and creating new components of the offense and defense.

Harbaugh hit the nail on the head here. The Ravens needs are as obvious as he suggested in his answer. The Ravens need to get better pass rushers. The Ravens need to get better at the linebacker position and they desperately need more at the wide receiver position. Harbaugh didn’t go into the specific things that Eric DeCosta has to accomplish this offseason, but he’s right. The Ravens needs aren’t hard to find and more importantly the Ravens will have the chance to address them in the offseason.

This could be one of the more exciting offseason stretches in the history of the Ravens. NFL Free Agency is coming up. The NFL Draft is going to be here before you know it. This loss is something that as a fan, you may not ever get over, but it’s time to start looking ahead. It’s important to remember that in Lamar Jackson’s first full season as a starter he led the team to a 14-2 record and (probably) won the MVP award.