OTL: The Time for Scapegoating Coordinators is Over

As much as I was hoping that we weren’t going to be having conversations about the offseason this quickly, it may be for the best, all things considered.

Last night, Roquan Smith tried to explain what’s wrong with the Ravens. He didn’t blame the coaches.

But over 3 pained minutes, Roquan unwittingly articulated the case for a coaching change.

When there’s a player-coach disconnect, how else do you fix it?https://t.co/yc3Non9cyB

— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) January 5, 2026

For the first time since 2021, the Ravens have missed the postseason. It’s jarring given what the preseason expectations were for this squad, but the final game of the season reiterated the undeniable fact that change is completely necessary for this team if they want to compete in the next few years. They have too many holes, and the obvious ones were much of the reason that they lost both their season finale and so many other games along the way.

Impossibly great play by Lamar Jackson. Maybe his best ever.

But why are two people unblocked on a four man rush on 3rd down? pic.twitter.com/UK4YZH82Nn

— Chris Cooper (@ChrisCooper_NFL) January 5, 2026

Kyle Hamilton exited the game after an incompletion on 2nd and 10 on the Steelers first drive of the 2nd half.

They converted on 3rd and 10 and went on to go:

TD
FG
Punt
TD
TD

on their second half drives.#RavensFlock

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) January 5, 2026

Yes, some of that is simply a failure to execute, but the O-line has been ill-prepared all year, and the secondary has been entirely too dependent on Kyle Hamilton being a superhuman in the defensive backfield. The players didn’t do well enough when the pressure was on, but scheme has been a problem, and the team knows it. Now, the team seeks to control the narrative on how this gets fixed, and it seems to be trending in a direction that I called two weeks ago: scapegoating.

OTL: Will We See Accountability or Scapegoating?

In a pair of posts from Josina Anderson, she intimated that the Ravens are considering personnel changes at the coordinator level, but it sounds like the organization is hoping that everyone will accept the buck stopping there.

League sources have been anticipating potential change at the coordinator level in Baltimore. Stay tuned for the latest.

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 5, 2026

If this is in reference to John. Let me say this: There are teams who wish, wish, they could have the foundation, culture and consistency that John Harbaugh has built in Baltimore. Last night was tough, I get it. Life is tough, even when you are talented as hell. Trust me, I get… https://t.co/bQtIAqHYbx

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 5, 2026

Of course, language allows for the possibility that another organization may be interested in using draft capital to acquire the rights to John Harbaugh as their new head coach. Rarity that it is for an NFL coach to be moved in a trade, I’m not holding my breath, and it brings me to the other point that Anderson brings in her messaging. She references the team’s culture that’s been established and maintained by Harbaugh’s long tenure in Baltimore, and while continuity can certainly be a positive thing, I would argue that this culture is beyond stale, getting into expired years past its “sell by” date. Sure, there can be positive tenets of an established culture, but when they become the same blown leads, the same tired messaging about how losses are a building block or a learning experience, fans and players alike are going to be tempted to check out.

Roquan Smith was extremely thoughtful and introspective at the Ravens postgame podium in Pittsburgh:

“Play in and play out, if your job is to do this, why can’t you do this play in and play out? Including myself. That’s something we have to do if we ever want to get over the… pic.twitter.com/kDoKW24N5W

— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) January 5, 2026

I’ve seen a wave of Baltimore fans saying that, if the team doesn’t move on from Harbaugh this offseason, they’ll be less tempted to support the organization. I’ve seen everything from vows not to attend games to even swearing off fandom of the team altogether, and while I can’t say I’d ever be willing to part with the team I’ve watched since their inception, I understand the sentiment, and I think it’s important that the ownership group understands it as well: money talks.

I usually don’t take a hardline stance as a writer because I want to maintain objectivity and not appear emotionally involved. At this point, though, I think that there’s enough empirical evidence for me to say this and be able to back it up: if the Ravens choose to blame the coordinators and position coaches for this season’s failures but allow John Harbaugh to continue to coach in Baltimore, they aren’t seriously interested in winning football. They have tons of work to do in other facets of the team as well, but there has to be a point that Steve Bisciotti can set personal relationships aside and make the hard decision for the good of his business. If he can’t do that, he’s going to cost himself money, good will among one of the most loyal fanbases in the sport, and an elite franchise QB’s contender window.

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