ExtremeRavens Posted Thursday at 11:00 AM Posted Thursday at 11:00 AM After each Ravens loss, the chants of “Fire Harbaugh” get stronger, but that’s because a lot of people around here are silly. Actually, a better description is asinine. Baltimore fans need to let the 2025 season play out. It’s impossible to shuffle several injured starters in and out of the lineup and win, especially when one is among the NFL’s best players in quarterback Lamar Jackson and another is a top middle linebacker named Roquan Smith. Wins aren’t going to happen without them, especially against the elite teams. So far, the Ravens have played perhaps the league’s toughest schedule with games against Buffalo, Detroit, Kansas City, Houston and the Los Angeles Rams, all playoff teams from a year ago. Only Cleveland can be considered a sleeper. The Ravens have produced a 1-5 record, and it’s well-deserved. But to fire a coach with an 18-year history in this town that includes a Super Bowl victory, four AFC championship game appearances and 12 playoff bids is ridiculous. Remember, this is not Major League Baseball and the Ravens aren’t the Orioles. Where is the logic? More importantly, let’s just use some common sense. The X-factor in any season is injuries. Look around the NFL. You think Cincinnati (2-4) is happy after losing quarterback Joe Burrow in the second game of the season? What would happen to the Rams if they lost quarterback Mathew Stafford or Kansas City lost Patrick Mahomes? It’s a quarterback-driven league, and when you lose your star, it’s just about over until he returns. In the words of Mr. T from “The A-Team” fame, “I pity the fool.” It has happened here with Jackson missing the past two games since going down late against Kansas City. There was hope that Cooper Rush or Tyler Huntley could be decent backups, but that was like believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. It’s called wishful thinking. The expectations were for the Ravens to play harder, which they didn’t do against Houston, or be entertaining, which was not the case against the Rams. Yet, it’s all about perspective. Those looks on Harbaugh’s face on the sideline didn’t provide any optimism. It’s as if he has run out of answers, or might break down and cry at any minute. That’s not something fans want to see. But if I were missing Jackson, left tackle Ronnie Stanley, defensive tackles Nnamdi Madubuike and Broderick Washington, Smith, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, safety Kyle Hamilton, outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and fullback Patrick Ricard, I’d tear up, too. Ravens fans express their disappointment during a loss to the Rams. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) Back in 2001 after the Ravens won their first Super Bowl title, they lost Jamal Lewis (ACL tear) and Leon Searcy (torn triceps tendon) during one of the first few weeks of training camp. They weren’t going to repeat without their best running back and their powerful tackle on the right side. That’s nothing compared with the losses suffered by the Ravens this season. Also, where is the loyalty? The younger generation has none because they change jobs as often as they change socks, selfies still remain in style and everything is about me, me, me. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, 65, is old school. He admittedly declares his impulsiveness, and it’s safe to assume that he has wanted to fire Harbaugh several times since he became coach in 2008. But Bisciotti is aware of the mass injuries and the consequences and losses that follow. In MLB, there are 162 games compared with just 17 in the NFL regular season. The Ravens have never made a head coaching change during the season, even when the late Ted Marchibroda won only 20 games in his first three years. Who on this staff would replace Harbaugh? Secondary coach Chuck Pagano, 65, or offensive coordinator Todd Monken, 59? Sorry, no offense to them, but the trend in the NFL these days is to hire a head coach in their 30s or early 40s. Plus, these are the Ravens, not the Tennessee Titans, who fired second-year coach Brian Callahan this week after only two seasons with a 4-19 record, including 1-5 this year. Harbaugh, 63, is the most complete coach in the franchise’s 30-year history, even though neither he nor former coach Brian Billick could draw up plays and schemes like Marchibroda. With a career record of 173-109, Harbaugh ranks 16th all-time in coaching wins. Harbaugh might not be a big game coach, and his clock management and gambles on fourth down or 2-point conversions are risky business. He can build teams, though, and is exceptional at chemistry, which is why his players often wear those corny little T-shirts with his slogans on them. Harbaugh is also a fighter, in the same class as Kansas City’s Andy Reid and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin when it comes to feistiness. It will be interesting to see how he responds with his character in question. The Ravens have had periods like this before, most notably in 2004 and 2005. In those seasons, they had players such as middle linebacker Ray Lewis, outside linebacker Peter Boulware, safety Ed Reed, tight end Todd Heap, Lewis, offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden and cornerbacks Deion Sanders and later Samari Rolle, who signed as an unrestricted free agent. The Ravens finished 9-7 in 2004 and 6-10 in 2005. In 2004, Jamal Lewis, Ogden, Heap, Sanders and center Mike Flynn all missed considerable playing time. In 2007, Billick lost the locker room to veterans like Ray Lewis and Reed, which forced the Ravens to hire Harbaugh. No one knows what Harbaugh can do with this group, but let the season play out. The Ravens have their problems. The offense is inconsistent, the defense has no clue and the special teams aren’t so special. But the remaining 11 games — and yes, the Ravens need to win nine of them to get to the magic number — are loaded with teams that don’t have a bonafide starting quarterback such as Minnesota, the New York Jets and Cleveland. The AFC North-leading Steelers (4-1) might have their usual end-of-season collapse, and the Ravens still have to face them twice. It’s very easy to point fingers at Harbaugh. It’s just as easy to single out general manager Eric DeCosta, who has loaded up with cornerbacks and receivers instead of using first-round draft picks to select interior linemen. Ravens fans want to terminate everybody. Fire Harbaugh. Fire DeCosta. Fire Poe. But the next time you get that urge, don’t do it. Please, no more emails, texts or babbling phone calls about getting rid of anyone. Above all things, remember, it’s still just a game. And there are 11 more to play. Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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