ExtremeRavens Posted 11 hours ago Posted 11 hours ago If the Ravens made a miscalculation when they hired John Harbaugh 18 years ago, they should make the same mistake again in 2026. All Harbaugh did was win Super Bowl XLVII, post 13 winning seasons with a career record of 193-124 (including playoffs), win six AFC North titles, advance to four AFC championship games and have only three losing seasons. That’s it. In contrast, 12 teams have never won a Super Bowl, including the Bills, Vikings, Titans and Browns. So, it’s of vital importance that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, 65, get this new coach hire right, not only because he probably plans on selling the team within the immediate future, but the organization needs some staying power. Some, even Bisciotti, have suggested that he hire someone like San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh or Miami’s former coach Mike McDaniel, coaches who failed at previous spots because they didn’t have the right pieces in place. No, thank you. There have already been enough videos of Saleh flexing in tight T-shirts and McDaniel looking totally clueless on the sidelines. The expectation is that Bisciotti will hire another CEO type, much like he did when he hired Harbaugh, who had the same energy, slick-talking approach and well-groomed look as Bisciotti had when he started Aerotek in 1983. They had other common traits, such as putting family first and being extremely loyal to those they worked with, according to a close friend. That’s what is needed with almost every NFL organization these days. You need a Mike Vrabel-type. Forget that he was a linebacker in the league from 1997 through 2010. Vrabel, 50, brought energy to the Patriots by setting the tone inside the building and changing the culture. He also inherited a second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, who, by all accounts, is willing to work, which gives them more of an edge. More importantly, Vrabel gets along well with his players, though that 6-foot-4, 261-pound frame helps him relate to them. Vrabel is still hungry. He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as a player, and as a coach, he led Tennessee to three consecutive playoff appearances, but no Super Bowl appearances. Vrabel was coached by Bill Belichick in his prime, but the days of Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi are gone. That’s when a coach could look at film, install a game plan, win or lose, and then go home. The world has changed. Players have podcasts and scroll through social media all day, and coaches have to be aware of what is going on outside of the organization as well as inside. They stay on or monitor most radio and TV stations. Betting on NFL games has become legal now, and it will be a bigger problem in the future. Then there is show time. After every defensive turnover, players showboat as if they are on Entertainment Tonight. Contract negotiations? Coaches are involved in player contract talks, and even Harbaugh reportedly had to work out an agreement with the New York Giants over the weekend in which he didn’t report directly to the general manager, but to the owner. That’s standard now. The business has changed. Owners are more impatient, too. There was a time when coaches got four or five years to build a program. Now, it’s down to one with the recent firings of Urban Meyer in Jacksonville (2021), Houston’s David Culley (2021), Carolina’s Frank Reich (2023), New England’s Jerod Mayo (2024), and Las Vegas’ Antonio Pierce (2024) and Pete Carroll (2025). Some local fans prefer a head coach with offensive experience like McDaniel or Buffalo’s Joe Brady, but I want one with an extensive defensive background. Defense travels, and that was on display for many years in Baltimore with the likes of middle linebacker Ray Lewis, safety Ed Reed and outside linebacker Terrell Suggs. The advantage here is that a coach can always find an offensive coordinator, especially given the recent rule changes tilt in the offense’s favor. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants a 35-31 outcome every game because he believes that puts people into the seats. That’s true to some degree, but the Ravens already have a star quarterback in Lamar Jackson and one of the best modern-day running backs in Derrick Henry. It comes back to the basic principle of having balance on both sides of the interior lines. The Ravens had trouble in pass protection for Jackson, who wants to throw more and run less. They had virtually no pass rush, and the secondary was in total disarray in coverage. If you look at the best team in the NFL right now, it’s probably Seattle, even though the Seahawks have Sam Darnold at quarterback. But they also have balance on both sides of the ball. Last year, Philadelphia won the Super Bowl because of its superior interior line play. Again, it’s all about balance. Despite the NFL becoming more entertainment than substance, the Ravens don’t need a coach running up and down the sidelines like the Jets’ Aaron Glenn or Lions’ Dan Campbell talking about biting knee caps. I didn’t want former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired by the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, despite having only two winning seasons with the “Clowns” and compiling a 46-56 overall record. Phonies shouldn’t apply. The Ravens need a CEO-type of coach who can delegate and moderate in the modern NFL. That’s what the league has become and is all about. The game hasn’t changed, but the players have, and so has just about everything else. The league has gone corporate. 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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