Ed. Note: The opinion expressed below was later recanted. Please CLICK HERE for the subsequent apology and for more information.
Just like it wasn’t John Harbaugh’s choice to part ways with former Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in 2012, it wasn’t his choice to hire Gary Kubiak to replace Jim Caldwell in 2014.
Harbaugh is fiercely loyal. He genuinely believes in the abilities of his staff individually and collectively and has an unwavering faith in their potential to persevere and work through problems.
Harbaugh’s choice was Jim Hostler. Word is that he made Ozzie Newsome and Steve Bisciotti aware of his intentions to promote the wide receivers coach and it got the “Not-in-my House” Dikembe Mutombo treatment.
Predictably Harbaugh has denied that the decision to hire Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison was anyone else’s choice but his. But even casual observers of the team know otherwise.
Earlier today Albert Breer offered this up on Twitter
Interesting, right?
Wonder if the inquiry about Callahan’s availability (he’s now the Cowboys OC and O-Line Coach) was for the Ravens offensive coordinator position or offensive line coach?
Scott Linehan is rumored to be destined for Dallas to be their play caller. Isn’t that what an offensive coordinator does? Seems a bit like bringing in a new coach and calling him the “Run Game Coordinator” when an offensive line coach is already in place.
You have to wonder who within the Ravens made the inquiry. If Callahan was targeted as an offensive line coach, you know the inquiry wasn’t Harbaugh’s. He made no bones about it during the State of the Ravens presser that Juan Castillo would be back to handle the offensive line.
Could Castillo suddenly become homesick and head back to Texas with his $1M+ contract in tow?
But back to yesterday’s hirings…
It goes completely against the grain for Harbaugh to make a move to get a guy like Kubiak who apparently has significant influence over the assistants on his offensive staff. Dennison comes along with him as QB coach – who by the way has experience coaching the offensive line, and then the very capable TE coach Wade Harman is replaced after 15 seasons by another from the Kubiak Texans’ staff, Brian Pariani.
More changes could be coming.
This kind of staff shake-up is very un-Harbaugh-like.
The deflated Hostler is probably next to go. It’s just simple human nature to want out after a desirable job is snatched away and then be asked to follow orders from a guy who was the beneficiary of the snatching.
As for Juan Castillo, Ozzie and Bisciotti almost had to allow him to stay. If Castillo was shown the door there is no conscionable way that Harbaugh could sit in front of that auditorium without a completely ashen face and not looking like a kid who just moved across the country leaving all his buddies behind.
Even worse, cutting Castillo loose would have put a serious dent in Harbaugh’s authority rendering him lame duck-like.
When all is said and done, none of this will really matter if these men can work together and develop a formidable offense led by Joe Flacco.
Yesterday was a very good day for the Ravens.
And it only cost them an order of humble pie for their head coach.
Thanks for taking one for the team Harbs!
