ExtremeRavens Posted Wednesday at 07:57 PM Posted Wednesday at 07:57 PM “I think this might be our man,” a reporter uttered. A then-45-year-old John Harbaugh emerged from the Under Armour Performance Center wearing a black suit and light blue tie on Jan. 8, 2008, greeting reporters as he completed his first interview with Baltimore. At the time, Harbaugh was a relatively unknown special teams coach with Philadelphia. He was the sixth and final candidate interviewed by the Ravens for their head coaching position — and the only one who was neither a coordinator nor an assistant head coach from another franchise. Ten days later, Harbaugh returned for a second interview and accepted the job that same day on Jan. 18. “I can’t wait to get started. It’s an opportunity I want to make the most of,” Harbaugh told the Delaware County Times in Pennsylvania. “I’m going to do everything possible to be successful.” After firing Harbaugh 18 years later, the Ravens are now searching for the franchise’s fourth coach — this time with a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player already on the roster. With Lamar Jackson in place, the stakes are higher. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti fired coach Brian Billick on Dec. 31, 2007, after Billick’s nine seasons with the team. Billick, who won Super Bowl 35 with the franchise in 2001, finished 5-11 a year after signing a four-year contract — his worst record with the club — and was fired one day after the season ended. “In order to be successful you have to take chances, and in order to take chances you have to listen to your heart. You have to go with your gut,” Bisciotti said. “It doesn’t mean that you don’t fear being wrong, because I do fear being wrong. I could be three coaches past Brian Billick nine years from now trying to solve this puzzle.” The Ravens’ search committee met the following day, consisting of Bisciotti, then-team president Dick Cass, then-general manager Ozzie Newsome and then-director of college scouting and current general manager Eric DeCosta. On Jan. 2, the team requested permission to interview four assistants still in the playoffs: Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and assistant head coach Tony Sparano, Colts assistant head coach Jim Caldwell and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Only McDaniels declined interest in the position. Baltimore later requested permission to speak with Cleveland offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who instead received a contract extension with the Browns. At the time, four teams were searching for new head coaches: Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington and Miami. While many teams traveled to meet candidates still in the playoffs, Baltimore instead flew them to its $32 million team headquarters, which opened in 2004. Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd FoxCoach John Harbaugh hugs owner Steve Bisciotti after the Ravens won the Super Bowl against the 49ers in February 2013. (Lloyd Fox/Staff) Cass personally picked up candidates upon their arrival in Baltimore and drove them to the facility. Newsome then led a tour before candidates met with the search committee for two to three hours. Vice president of medical services and head trainer Bill Tessendorf would drive them back to the airport. Caldwell was the first to meet with the team Jan. 4, then Garrett and Sparano the next day. Recently fired defensive coordinator Rex Ryan interviewed on Jan. 6 — the only in-house candidate considered. New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer met next on Jan. 7. Harbaugh had his first interview the following day. It quickly emerged that Garrett was the Ravens’ top candidate. After the Cowboys were upset by the Giants in the NFC divisional round on Jan. 13, Garrett flew to Baltimore for a second interview the next day. That night, Garrett and his wife, Brill, had dinner with the Bisciotti family and other members of the organization. The Ravens met with him for seven hours the following day. Garrett was not swayed. He left for a second meeting with the Falcons. Even after meeting with Atlanta, Dallas managed to keep its offensive coordinator following a late-night meeting with owner Jerry Jones, a new contract and promotion to assistant head coach. “We did negotiate with Jason Garrett to become our head coach,” the Ravens said in a statement. “In the end, he decided to stay in Dallas. We’re continuing our second round of interviews. We’re excited with the candidates and confident we will select the best head coach for the Ravens.” On Jan. 18 and one day after Garrett decided to stay in Dallas, Harbaugh met with Ravens brass again. This time, after about eight and a half hours, he accepted the job. Harbaugh said that he didn’t view himself as a second choice at all. He stressed the label was “irrelevant” to him — he saw the job simply as an opportunity, respected the other candidates and felt fortunate to be the one chosen. Bisciotti again framed the hire as a necessary risk and said his confidence in Harbaugh only grew through the interview process. “I said three weeks ago you have to take chances to be successful. You have to be willing to do things that the masses wouldn’t do, or I don’t think you will be able to separate yourself from the masses,” Bisciotti said. “Is it a little bit more of a perceived chance? Yeah, but the time we spent with John Harbaugh gave me a comfort level that we hired the right guy,” he added. “You go with your instincts, and I have pretty good instincts.” Of the candidates interviewed, Harbaugh went on to have the most successful career. Garrett spent 10 seasons in Dallas without reaching a conference championship game. Sparano lasted four seasons as Miami’s head coach. Schottenheimer went 7-9-1 in his first season as a head coach in Dallas in 2025. Ryan reached two conference championship games with the Jets but was fired after six seasons and a 50-52 record. Caldwell lost Super Bowl 44 in his first season with the Colts in 2009 and did not win another playoff game over six seasons with the Colts and Detroit Lions. And Bisciotti is betting on himself again 18 years later. In a statement Tuesday announcing Harbaugh’s dismissal, he framed the decision as one rooted in championship expectations and the belief that the organization must continue striving at the highest level. The coach had won just four playoff games since winning Super Bowl 47 in 2013, and his team went from preseason favorites to missing the postseason. “Our goal has always been and will always be to win Championships. We strive to consistently perform at the highest level on the field and be a team and organization our fans take pride in,” Bisciotti said. “We fully understand the expectations of our fans and everyone in the Ravens organization. Finding another strong leader and partner who will reflect these high standards is paramount.” This time, the gamble comes with a championship window already open — and far less room for error. Archived reporting from NFL.com, Ravens.com, Russell Street Report, ESPN and The Baltimore Sun was used for this story. Have a news tip? Contact Michael Howes at mhowes@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, or x.com/Mikephowes. View the full article Quote
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