John Harbaugh: Strengths and weaknesses of the Ravens coach

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)
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ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 27: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens from the AFC Team during the NFL Pro Bowl Game at Camping World Stadium on January 26, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. The AFC defeated the NFC 38 to 33. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL – JANUARY 27: Head Coach John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens from the AFC Team during the NFL Pro Bowl Game at Camping World Stadium on January 26, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. The AFC defeated the NFC 38 to 33. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)

Putting it all together and ranking John Harbaugh:

John Harbaugh has 12 seasons in the book as the Ravens head coach. He’s taken the Ravens to the playoffs eight times and has won a Super Bowl. When you put it all together you have a good coach. He’s always going to find a way to make the Ravens competitive and his ability to connect with his players and reinvent as necessary, will make sure he never loses the locker room. Harbaugh will certainly find ways to frustrate the Ravens Flock over the course of each season but they are in good hands. No coach is perfect and the 2019 Coach of the Year is no exception.

Harbaugh has to be in the conversation of the best NFL coaches. Personally, I would rank Harbaugh as the third best coach in the NFL behind Bill Belichick and Andy Reid. With Reid, you can accuse me or recency bias, but the newly crowned Super Bowl champion has always been a great coach. Belichick has six Super Bowl rings and has been the most consistent coach in the NFL over the years. Belichick has been coaching the New England Patriots since 2000.

Harbaugh isn’t a play-calling mastermind but he’s a good boss. He’s an effective communicator who builds deep and powerful relationships with his players and his coaching staff. If you watch the Ravens on a weekly basis you almost feel like you know exactly what their head coach is all about because his Harbaugh energy permeates the whole team. As long as he’s in your top five, your NFL coach rankings are on point. However, he really belongs in the top three.

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