John Harbaugh has an opportunity to shift the narrative surrounding the Ravens
It’s incredible how narratives can change, often as quickly as we see them. Two months ago, the Baltimore Ravens were a Super Bowl contender with a fringe Hall of Fame coach.
If John Harbaugh could lead this team to its third Lombardi Trophy, the second of his tenure, the national media would have to begin asking itself questions about whether or not he was worthy of a bust being carved in Canton, Ohio.
Then, it happened. Baltimore lost five of its first six games to begin the regular season. Many losses seemed worse than the one they followed.
They tumbled from the top spot in many of the power rankings they led. They were tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. John Harbaugh was placed on the plank and told to begin walking. Wait? We’re talking about hot seats?
Stop us if you have heard this before. Coach Harbaugh is the NFL’s longest-tenured current head coach not named Mike Tomlin, but he’s under the microscope. Although this wasn’t discussed during the offseason, people have started asking if he’s still the right man to lead the Ravens.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh gets a second chance to rewrite his narrative.
Coaching at any level is a nomadic profession. Its demands are constant and sometimes unfair, and in a microwave society, people seek satisfaction faster than they ever have.
This isn’t meant to sound insensitive, but gone are the days when coaches had time to build something or correct many of their errors. NCAA programs and NFL organizations are now firing coaches in the middle of a regular season. Some have asked if Harbaugh is still the man capable of and worthy of the responsibility of leading the Ravens.
“Even the league’s best coaches have seen many of their legendary tenures come to ignominious ends. Andy Reid was run out of town in Philadelphia by Eagles fans who were convinced their veteran coach would never get them over the Super Bowl hump. Bill Belichick was fired after winning six Super Bowls in New England.”
Those were the words of ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, taken from a story written earlier this week, NFL hot seats: Mike McDaniel, Justin Fields, John Harbaugh. As Barnwell mentions, “Any coach who doesn’t win a Super Bowl over 12 years in the same job is going to inspire some grumbling here and there, and every fan base fires its coach on social media after every loss.”
Wow. Isn’t that the truth? But, as we venture through the bye week, Harbaugh still has his job, so he still has his chance to fix this. Let’s be honest, though. He has earned that opportunity, right?
Still, Barnwell, offers more…
“Of course, I recognize that Ravens fans didn’t suddenly decide that they’re frustrated with Harbaugh after five losses before the end of October. This is partly about the frustrations of the Lamar Jackson era, where the Ravens have been the best team in football during the regular season and made it past the divisional round only once in seven tries. It is about trying to find something to change about a team that felt as if it was inevitably going to come up short when things mattered most, even before their previously lofty floor collapsed amid a brutal run of injuries. It is also somewhat about the fact that Harbaugh is one of the league’s CEO coaches, which means it’s more difficult to tie his performance to one particular side of the ball.”
The Ravens have tough stretches of football, but as far as the injuries go, many of their stars are expected to return to action soon, including Lamar Jackson and Roquan Smith. They’re part of a strong nucleus that can help right this ship and continue this tradition of winning.
The expectations were high for Baltimore this season. That alone proves that, in many ways, this team and its head coach have done a good job, but this organization and fan base are starved for Super Bowl glory again. Harbaugh will have suitors if he is dismissed, but let’s not think that far ahead. We’d rather see him get this turned around and lead this team to glory as its longest-tenured head coach.
