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John Harbaugh press conference: 3 big things to think about

By Chris Schisler

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts during the second half in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 11: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens reacts during the second half in the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 embrace prior to the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JANUARY 11: Head coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 embrace prior to the AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2020 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /

2. Lamar Jackson is on the right track:

Harbaugh was asked about Lamar Jackson going through some adversity and it made for the most compelling portion of the press conference. Harbaugh’s answer was this: 

"“I asked him basically, what do you need to get better, and we had talked about a couple different areas. You know, without getting into what they are specifically, he nailed the priority list in the exact same order that Greg [Roman] nailed the priority list when we were talking on Monday.”"

The first takeaway here is that it’s impossible not to love the dynamic between Harbaugh and Jackson. They work well together. Secondly Jackson’s self-awareness and the honesty at which he grades himself with is refreshing. The fact that Jackson knows what he needs to work on and he knew it before anybody even told him, gives him a great head start for next year. The fact that Jackson’s assessment of himself matches what the coaches thought means that everybody is working towards the 2020 season with the same goals.

He’s genuinely interested in getting better and getting past the first playoff game next season. Jackson is the literal embodiment of the “Nobody Cares. Work Harder” slogan the Ravens used this season. Harbaugh made another great point about Jackson and the high playoff expectations that have been put upon him: 

"“He’s 23 years old. He’s younger than Joe Burrow. Okay, so he’s got a pretty good head start right now. I mean he’s along the way. The Manning brothers combined for, they had five losses in their first five playoff games, before they won one right. Montana, Young and Favre didn’t start a playoff game until their third season. Brees and Aikman until their fourth season and Rodgers until his fifth season.”"

This is a spot on point for Harbaugh to make. People tend to forget realistic expectations when it comes to the quarterback position. Jackson is young and the Ravens have him on his rookie contract for another three seasons. Joe Flacco may have gone to the AFC Championship game in his rookie season but he never carried the team the way that Jackson did this year; Flacco wasn’t an MVP candidate. You don’t have to have early career playoff success to be a franchise quarterback. Jackson’s inability to win playoff games is something that the future could erase. Jackson has plenty of playoff football left in him. So to Coach Harbaugh, I emphatically say preach!

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