I am a fan of the Baltimore Ravens.
As my GIVEMESPORT author bio will tell you, I’ve proudly repped the purple and black since Joe Flacco, seemingly against all odds, scampered 38 yards for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in his NFL debut. For that game, and all 260 other regular season affairs the Ravens have played since then, their head coach has been John Harbaugh.
With a 160-101 record, four AFC Championship game appearances, and a Super Bowl 47 championship to his name, Harbaugh is the best coach in Baltimore’s brief history. It’s no contest; the Ravens have had Harbaugh manning the sidelines for more seasons (16) than they haven’t (12). Oddly enough, that second value is the same number of postseason victories he’s notched, tying him for eighth-most among head coaches in league history. No matter what way you slice things, he has been tremendous at his job.
Over the past few years, though, things have changed. Baltimore, once owner of the NFL’s best playoff winning percentage, has slipped off the Olympic podium entirely and now resides in fourth. Since Lamar Jackson has been leading the way, the Ravens have as many first-round byes (2) as postseason wins. Roquan Smith’s jersey number tells you how many Super Bowls in which they’ve partaken over the two-time MVP’s tenure.
Jackson’s inability to deliver once the calendar turns to January is undeniably part of the reason much of the Ravens’ own fanbase, beyond myself, now slap playoff games with the WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD labels often seen on LEGO boxes.
However, attributing those overall team struggles entirely to him is disingenuous. Harbaugh, by and large, has been a bigger culprit. And Baltimore may have missed its best opportunity to capture a third Super Bowl ring because of his missteps.
His early success came at an unsustainable rate
Before diving into the biggest issues that have derailed the Ravens in the Lamar Jackson Era, it’s important to recognize just how good Harbaugh was when starting his head coaching career. His biography on Baltimore’s team website tells you more than you need to know, but the biggest accomplishments are almost all unparalleled:
- Harbaugh is the only head coach in NFL history to win a playoff game in each of his first five seasons; no other coach has won a postseason contest in every one of their first four years.
- Harbaugh is the lone coach in league history to secure a playoff victory in six of his first seven years.
- Harbaugh’s eight road playoff victories are the most all-time by a head coach, topping the seven each by Tom Landry and Tom Coughlin.
- Harbaugh was the first head coach in NFL history to reach conference championship weekend in three of his first five seasons. The only other head coach to do so was his brother, Jim Harbaugh.
- Coaching Flacco in 2008, Harbaugh set the league record for most victories (13, including playoffs) by a rookie head coach starting a rookie quarterback.
After getting his head coaching wings, Harbaugh flew to remarkable heights. Ravens fans became accustomed to a certain standard, one that he, unsurprisingly, hasn’t been able to replicate. Harbaugh hasn’t fallen from his pinnacle to nearly the same extent Icarus did, but the expectations in Baltimore are among the highest of any NFL franchise. And lately, when winter has come, Harbaugh hasn’t been able to slay the dragon.