Harbaugh Disses Ravens

Makes it Easier for the Ravens, Fans to Say Goodbye

I’m asked often these days, “Who would you like to see as the Ravens new head coach?” and “Who has the inside track on the Ravens’ HC opening?”

My personal preference is a coach who can re-establish the Ravens identity and I think that requires a defensive oriented head coach. I want the physicality and toughness to be a staple of the Ravens’ style. Lately, that has been MIA. That said, the new DC on my wishlist needs to have an offensive coordinator in tow who can mesh with Lamar Jackson. From what I can gather, and keep in mind the Ravens have all intel on the new coaching search heavily encrypted, the clubhouse leaders are Jesse Minter and Anthony Weaver.

Of those I’ve heard mentioned that have zero appeal to me yet have already interviewed with the Ravens, are Buffalo’s OC Joe Brady, Seattle’s OC Klint Kubiak and Broncos special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. If Brady was such a solid candidate, why wouldn’t the Bills be interested? Kubiak from what I’m hearing, isn’t a fiery personality and some believe that he’s a future candidate for a head coaching position but not yet. Rizzi? Another special teams coordinator who can’t cut off a struggling DC or OC in-game? No thanks.

#HardPass on those three.

Back in 2008

When the Ravens last had a vacancy with their head coaching position, I asked Eric DeCosta how their search was going, even being so bold to say, “why are you guys considering coaches like Brian Schottenheimer and John Harbaugh?”

His reply…

“Don’t sell Harbaugh short. He’s interviewing very well.”

The hire seemed underwhelming at the time. But 18 years later he’s all the rage in The Big Apple.

It wasn’t all roses during those 18 seasons, but all things considered, you’d have to label the John Harbaugh Era a success. Could it and should it have been better given the talent on the team? ABSOLUTELY! That said, the Ravens saw something in Harbaugh, despite a thin resume and it worked out ok. Steve Bisciotti is a self-made billionaire in large part due to his ability to read people. I have no doubt that the Ravens brass, guided by Bisciotti’s expertise, will find another coach every bit as successful as Harbaugh. Hopefully, more.

Gratitude or Lack Thereof

I watched the Harbaugh presser in New York today. I expected all the rah-rah talk, the football hyperbole and “the team, the team, the team”. And John delivered. That’s who he is and that’s ok. But I did find his acknowledgement of the Ravens to be rather telling.

“To the Ravens, I’d like to extend a profound thank you to Steve and Ozzie for the opportunity, to all of the players and coaches who have been unrelenting brothers through the years. We did great things, thanks guys.”

That’s it!

If we’ve learned anything about Harbaugh over the past nearly two decades, is that he’s a man who is prepared. No matter the odds against his teams, they were largely prepared for the task at hand. During press conferences, he would often open with a story about a football related event that impacted the team or even John as a man, on some level. Preparedness is part of his DNA.

When he released his statement about his firing, John said many things but not one thing was mentioned about the fans of the Baltimore Ravens. Admittedly, I thought the omission was purposeful although I wasn’t sure.

But John had another chance today to acknowledge the fans. Not only did he choose to not do so again, but he also failed to say anything about Dick Cass who was and still is universally loved by all team employees. And he failed to acknowledge Eric DeCosta, a man who worked tirelessly beside Harbaugh, was his next-door neighbor and “best friend” per Bisciotti.

The omissions seem intentional for someone as calculating as Harbaugh. The courtesy kudos were absent. Sort of like John’s defenses in the fourth quarter for the better part of the last decade.

Ravens OC Todd Monken is expected to follow John Harbaugh to the Giants, but who will he hire as DC?

Two potential candidates are Jim Leonhard and Anthony Weaver, both of whom have previous ties to Harbaugh and would make sense.@GMENHQ // #NYGiants https://t.co/9Xjs7PX9v4

— Adam Bernstein (@AdamBernstein18) January 18, 2026

Harbaugh Assistants

It seems a foregone conclusion that Todd Monken will be the Giants new offensive coordinator. There’s also talk that Anthony Weaver is at the top of Harbaugh’s list to become the Giants’ new defensive coordinator, provided of course Weaver isn’t hired to be the Ravens skipper.

It’s interesting that Harbaugh now prefers Weaver over Zach Orr as his coordinator. That wasn’t the case in Baltimore. Maybe John is paying attention to the guy at the end of the bar after all.

Good riddance!

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