Harbaugh on the Hot Seat, Again?

John Harbaugh is hardly the most popular guy in town these days. Beginning with the complete and utter trainwreck of a game plan during the AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs in January, right on through Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season, Harbaugh’s ability to lead the Ravens lies squarely in the crosshairs of fans who would love to see owner Steve Bisciotti send him packing.

I understand the emotion. I get the frustrations. Fans are sick of the blown fourth quarter leads. They are tired of the postseason abandonment of the team’s strengths. Harbaugh’s clock management and abysmal usage of challenge flags is infuriating. And perhaps most disheartening of all is his coaching staff’s inability to get the most out of a very talented team.

Firing him now makes no sense. That’s a complete disruption of a season that is just two weeks old. If the Ravens lost games 3 and 4 after a (2-0) start, these “Fire Harbaugh” discussions wouldn’t be happening – at least not with the conviction and venom that we’re seeing and hearing after two weeks.

And for those who are calling for John’s head, let me ask, “Who would be the head coach if Harbaugh was fired?”

There’s no one on the current staff capable of replacing John. I’d suggest that is by design, but that’s another topic for another day. So, the lack of in-house head coaching prospects would force Bisciotti and GM Eric DeCosta to look outside of the organization. But even if Bisciotti targeted one of the greatest head coaches of all time, Bill Belichick, does that guarantee a complete shift in a winning direction?

Belichick, or any new coach for that matter, would have to take a crash course in Ravens personnel. He would have to quickly get familiar with the entire coaching staff to understand their roles and core competencies. He’d have to embrace the current culture and its idiosyncrasies to maintain some level of continuity. He would have to immerse himself into the team’s current schematic structure.

At the end of the day, it’s a big, big ask, even with a resume like Belichick’s. And there’s certainly no guarantee that the results would be any better.

Bisciotti will ride out this storm and if it is simply a passing shower, cooler heads will have prevailed, and the season can get back on track. However, if these unsettled atmospheric conditions eventually morph into a tsunami by season’s end, then the conversation shifts towards change – dramatic change. And that’s something that the Ravens owner, a big believer in organizational continuity, will try to avoid.

As for Belichick, I don’t think he’s a fit for an owner like Bisciotti. He’ll look for a young coach with a bright and lengthy future – one who could skipper the team’s sideline for a decade plus. You know, someone like Mike Macdonald.

And let’s not forget DeCosta’s role in hiring a new coach. Do you think that he’ll want a coach in the building with a history of making personnel decisions like Belichick? DeCosta has a big ego. You don’t get to his office chair without one. It’s practically a prerequisite. Let’s not forget that while he was an assistant to Ozzie, EDC had chances to go to New England to become their GM – a move that would have taken the native New Englander home. But he resisted the overtures, knowing full well that he would be Belichick’s slappy. I seriously doubt that he’s had a change of heart.

Shock The Monken Tonight

A lot of criticism has been directed towards Todd Monken and his limited use of Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter after the Ravens had taken a 10-point lead with 12:11 left in the game. Pardon the Interruption’s Michael Wilbon was effusive in his criticism of Monken, even comparing Henry to NY Yankees’ Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera. And Monken refused to use him, per Wilbon.

These specific criticisms are completely sensationalized – at least in this case. After the Ravens took a 23-13 lead, the Raiders next drive produced a field goal. When the Ravens got the ball back with 9:15 to go up by 7, the first play from scrimmage was a 5-yard run by Henry. The next play was a poorly read RPO by Lamar Jackson who was dropped for no gain. After a neutral zone infraction by the Raiders, the Ravens faced a 3rd-and-1 from their own 29. Then Henry was called for a false start moving the Ravens back 5 yards. One play later they were forced to punt.

During their next possession the Raiders moved the ball 70 yards to tie the game at 23 with 3:54 left on the clock.

So, the way the game played out, Monken doesn’t deserve the criticisms for not properly using his “Mariano Rivera” to close out the game. Monken is deserving of criticism for tipping off opponents with his substitution packages and an offense that schematically fails to put its playmakers in position to succeed. That said, putting players in position to succeed is a challenge when the offensive line is a disaster.

The Doghouse

One of the most infuriating things about Harbaugh is his commitment bias. Harbaugh has this annoying tendency to continue investing time, resources and lately losses, into a failing project or course of action. And this year’s failing project is Daniel Faalele.

Crosby and Wilkins vs. the right side of the Ravens OL pic.twitter.com/qH8D8AuWOc

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) September 18, 2024

The end result: pic.twitter.com/HQNvaYxGTa

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) September 16, 2024

Faalele, aka Olay-Lay, is a fish out of water. His footwork is looks like Frankenstein doing the cha-cha. He is not a starting caliber NFL guard and he’s lucky to be in the league at all. There is no conceivable way that Ben Cleveland can be worse than Faalele. A review of Cleveland’s work during weeks 17 and 18 of the 2023 season proves that he’s not.

Ben Cleveland in weeks 17 & 18

64 pass-blocking snaps
2 pressures allowed
0 sacks allowed
85.9 PFF Grade

The new RG? pic.twitter.com/JzADq9x45Y

— PFF BAL Ravens (@PFF_Ravens) February 20, 2024

Yet Harbaugh will go on and on trying to convince us all, as if we are watching football for the first time, that Faalele is better than Cleveland. Pure commitment bias. Pure coaching malpractice. Pure stubbornness.

“If Ben [Cleveland] had earned at the job at right guard, he’d be the starting right guard. So, [when] you look at the tape, he didn’t beat out Daniel [Faalele] or anybody. I think Ben is a good player. I like Ben.” ~ John Harbaugh

Look, a 50-gallon trash can is only a slight downgrade from Faalele and it would be lighter on the salary cap. Harbaugh doesn’t “like” Ben. Why even use the term “like”, it feels awkward. Unless, Harbaugh is simply trying to defuse the rumors that he dislikes Cleveland. It is known in Ravens circles that John doesn’t like Ben. Maybe John has a pet squirrel that Cleveland has his eye on. Maybe he’s still chapped that Cleveland flunked conditioning tests in the past. Maybe he doesn’t like the way he practices.

Maybe Harbaugh shouldn’t like the way Project Faalele PLAYS in games that count!

Over a year later and Ben Cleveland talking about eating squirrels is still insane pic.twitter.com/1brfexE18T

— RAMEY (@HoodieRamey) April 21, 2022

This Ben Cleveland situation reminds me a bit of the enigmatic Bryant McKinnie. In 2012, McKinnie dressed in all of the Ravens regular season games. He started NONE, and took just 59 regular season snaps in 2012 through 15 games. In week 16 when the Ravens started their JV team against the Bengals in a meaningless game, McKinnie had 69 snaps.

Then, suddenly, after 16 weeks, Harbaugh had an epiphany. McKinnie at left tackle made the 2012 Ravens team better. So he started all four playoff games including Super Bowl 47. I don’t need to remind you what happened.

Cleveland isn’t the end-all, be-all at guard. But if he still has a pulse, he’s better than Faalele. He just needs to share the secret password to escape Harbaugh’s doghouse.

Oh, and if somehow Lamar is injured due to Faalele’s woeful inadequacies, the shit will hit the fan.

[Related Article: The Ravens Need to Start THIS O-Lineman!]

Mandrews

Mark Andrews needs 1 TD reception to tie TE Todd Heap (41) for the most all time in Ravens history. Eventually that’s going to happen. But Andrews just doesn’t seem right.

During training camp, Andrews was a beast. He was dominant. There were virtually no signs of the lower leg injury that sidelined him for 7 games last season. Then came the car accident, after which, he seldom practiced.

Harbaugh denied that the accident had any lingering effects, but the eyeball test tells a different story. Against the Chiefs, Andrews hauled in a short pass on a 3rd-and-4 midway through the 4th quarter in Kansas City, Lamar hit Andrews with a short pass to the right just inside the numbers. Andrews cradled the ball in the fetal position with no defender around him. He laid still on the field after a 3-yard gain. Andrews could have rolled for the first down. He didn’t. It was an odd effort for someone with Andrews’ talents.

Fast forward to the game against the Raiders. Monken dialed up this cute little gadget play that features a tight end behind center, flanked to the back left and right by Derrick Henry and Pat Ricard, respectively. Lamar stood a few yards directly behind the tight end – the tight end that is usually Andrews. Only this time it was seldom used Charlie Kolar – another indication that Andrews isn’t 100%. Another situation that routinely involved Harbaugh’s disingenuous response to an injury question.

Tua

Speaking of well-being, I’m concerned for Tua Tagovailoa. If you’ve watched the documentary below on Tua, it’s hard to walk away from it without a positive vibe. Tua is a very likable man with an unwavering devotion to his family. And that family is what he should be most concerned about now that he’s faced with a career ultimatum – walk away and retain mental faculties or continue to play and put your life at risk.

During last Thursday’s game against the Bills, Tua suffered another concussion following a blow to the head and neck area that wasn’t all that violent, relatively speaking. And that brings into question, how will Tua respond neurologically if he sustains even stronger blunt force trauma.

The Thursday night play on which Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion: pic.twitter.com/q7P5L7LiaK

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2024

It’s not my life, not my career. But that said, here’s hoping that Tua does the sensible thing and retires.

Quick Hits

You’ve heard it said that defense wins championships. After two games, the Ravens have provided proof to support that long-standing belief. Baltimore (0-2) is ranked No. 1 in offense, No. 15 in defense, for the moment. The pass defense is ranked 32nd. Given a secondary with all of that talent and a fairly decent pass rush, the results are borderline shocking as are the ongoing fourth quarter collapses. The Q4 hemorrhaging isn’t anything new. The unsavory late game trends encompass no less than three defensive coordinators: Wink Martindale, Mike Macdonald and now Zachary Orr. The common denominator? John Harbaugh. Perhaps this is the result of a failed philosophical approach that Harbaugh refuses to give up on.

More commitment bias?

If you haven’t heard Tom Brady as a color analyst yet, Sunday you’ll get that chance. FOX’s No. 1 team is covering the Ravens at Cowboys… Baltimore holds a 5-1 all-time series lead vs. the Cowboys, including a 1-1 mark in the Dallas. Under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 3-1 vs. the Cowboys (1-1 in Dallas), with these teams last meeting on a Tuesday night in Baltimore during the 2020 COVID-affected season (Ravens won, 34-17)…The Ravens are currently listed as 1 ½ point favorites over the Cowboys who have the league’s worst red zone defense. Will the Ravens 18th-ranked red zone offense improve? Will the 32nd-ranked pass defense stop bleeding?

I just had a bad flashback!

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/09/18/tltakes/harbaugh-hot-seat/