Ravens' Coaching Change Signals Shift From Stability To Championship Pursuit

Key Quotes

"we're coming live because news just dropped john harbaugh out as ravens head coach after 18 seasons at the helm the second longest tenured head coach currently in the nfl behind only division rival mike tomlin he was super bowl 47 champion he was 2019 coach of the year he had 180 wins most in ravens history and the ravens now one of the pinnacles of stability throughout the nfl two coaches this millennium since 1999 it's been only brian billick and john harbaugh well they're about to get a third"

The hosts are announcing the breaking news of John Harbaugh's departure from the Ravens after a long tenure. They highlight his significant achievements, including a Super Bowl win and Coach of the Year award, and emphasize the rarity of coaching stability in the NFL, noting the Ravens have had only two head coaches since 1999. This sets the stage for discussing the impact of this change.

"i i feel like this was coming but it still feels shocking to see and i think a large part of it is because like you said john harbaugh has been a mainstay in the nfl you can't think of the nfl without thinking of john harbaugh coaching the ravens you think of john harbaugh versus mike tomlin and now we're we're not getting that anymore it feels sort of shocking but also when you watch this team it felt like this team just didn't have it from a procedural from a high leverage situation standpoint and that stuff falls onto coaching"

One of the hosts expresses that while the news might have been anticipated, it still feels surprising due to Harbaugh's long-standing presence in the league. They note that Harbaugh is synonymous with the Ravens and that his departure removes a prominent rivalry. The host also suggests that the team's struggles in critical moments point to coaching issues.

"yeah this isn't too surprising given the smoke that was around them the article that mike preston of the baltimore sun wrote a few weeks back detailing that lamar jackson and john harbaugh had been at odds the reddit post i don't know did you see the reddit post about the ravens like mid season from a former girlfriend of a ravens player detailing that a lot of ravens players you know allegedly this was a post on reddit from an anonymous person saying they wanted john harbaugh gone and just kind of the helplessness of this year's ravens team even when lamar jackson was back like it was nowhere near the team we saw in 2024 nowhere near the team we thought we were gonna get this year when the roster looked even better"

The other host indicates that the news is not entirely unexpected, referencing prior reports and online discussions that suggested friction between Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh, as well as alleged player dissatisfaction. They describe the team's performance this year as "helpless," even with Jackson playing, and note it fell short of expectations and past seasons.

"yeah it felt like this team like i said it felt like they had just been sort of sleepwalking through the year after lamar jackson went down and after lamar jackson got hurt the first time it just felt like this team was like you said hapless this team lacked energy and you should never say that about a team with lamar jackson kyle hamilton all these premium players at premium positions you should not be saying that this team is hapless or has no energy even though like they were a missed kick away from making the playoffs"

This host reiterates the feeling that the team seemed to be "sleepwalking" through the season, particularly after Lamar Jackson's injury. They emphasize that a team with such high-caliber players should not exhibit a lack of energy or appear "hapless," despite their close proximity to making the playoffs.

"and part of me believes that even if they made that kick it felt like john harbaugh's time as the head coach of the ravens was up and that's okay ravens now in my opinion i'm guessing you agree they've vaulted to the top by the rankings of yes of where you know head coaching destinations i think the cream of the crop they're all going to be holding out to see if they get the ravens offer first right you're a clint kubiak of the world your jesse minter's of the world your kevin stefanski's of the world whoever you think is the best head coaching candidate i'm guessing they want to go to baltimore for one the reason i already said off the top they've had two coaches in 26 seasons now you always want to go to a stable organization you always want that kind of job security too you have a franchise two time mvp quarterback in lamar jackson who still has two years left on his deal it's not like he's going anywhere anytime soon"

The host believes that John Harbaugh's tenure with the Ravens was likely over, regardless of the outcome of a crucial missed kick. They assert that the Ravens' head coaching position has become one of the most desirable destinations for top coaching candidates. This desirability is attributed to the organization's stability, job security, and the presence of a franchise quarterback in Lamar Jackson.

"i still do think eric decosta is a good gm but the single biggest area where he has been bad not even just like struggled bad is his evaluation of edge prospects their ability in the draft where you know ozzie newsome like you think of the ravens historically and it's something i used to say a lot especially under ozzie newsome it's like the ravens could always get that day two day three edge guy to be productive with ozzie you know guys like za'darius smith pernell mcphee it seemed like they always had someone in that mold that was ultimately you know in a rotation being very productive for them you go back and look at eric costa's top 100 picks on the edge jaylon ferguson in 2019 his very first draft did absolutely nothing he's not even in the league anymore passed through his entire contract in the league you had odafe oweh his only first rounder they traded him away for pennies this year david ojabo the injury risk they took didn't pay off for them uh adisa isaac another top 100 pick done nothing and then mike green too early to too early to really say but the early returns he didn't do much for them this year as a rookie so i love the pick i still think he's going to be good but like you have to say that they have not been able to draft and do what aussie newsom continually used to do and that's why the defense was just not good this year"

This speaker acknowledges Eric DeCosta as a competent general manager but identifies his evaluation of edge prospects in the draft as a significant weakness. They contrast DeCosta's draft results with the historical success of Ozzie Newsome in finding productive edge rushers. The speaker lists several high draft picks on the edge under DeCosta who have not panned out, concluding that