Yesterday, a writer far more talented, experienced, and plugged-in than I voiced a much-needed response to the sensationalist calls for head coach John Harbaugh’s firing. I whole-heartedly agree with him and all those who take a big picture stance understanding that Harbaugh is a proven winner and a great coach who deserves a considerably long leash.
This franchise is one of the most consistently successful in the business and our head coach is an vital component underlying that prosperity.
With that being said, John Harbaugh flat out has done a poor job of coaching this season, and must improve.
I recognize that key injuries, problems with scheme, poor officiating, and plain bad luck have all had seminal roles in the demise of the 2015 season. I am not going to address those factors, nor will I touch on the salary cap or front office personnel decision-making, although a head coach certainly has his hand in those and virtually every aspect of the franchise.
Rather, I want to address what I see on gameday. Looking back on Monday night’s loss, there were three instances that Harbaugh needed to handle better.
Failure to Report, Failure to React
Let’s start with John Urschel’s failure to report as eligible penalty, one of the most baffling calls that I have ever seen in the NFL. Harbaugh was plenty mad, but if I am the head coach, and my struggling team is putting a great drive together early in the game, one of my young guys follows the rules, my offensive coordinator calls a great play to continue building momentum, and the penalty is egregiously wrong, I am absolutely destroying my Bose® headset into the turf when that penalty is called.
While it is important for Harbaugh to remain in control, respect the officials, and avoid blaming things beyond the team’s control, he needed to take that penalty call as a flagrant attack on his competence as a head coach. Like a baseball manager getting a purposeful ejection to inspire a team, Harbaugh should have utterly lost his mind, demanded answers, and been in the side judge’s ear for the rest of the quarter.
I don’t know exactly what this Ravens team needs, but a visible display of emotion that shows that the head coach is fighting to the death for his players could only help. If you think Harbaugh’s reaction would not have made a difference, look at basically the entire offense staring at Harbaugh’s discussion with the referee.
John Harbaugh is no Bob Knight, but he has proven to be a fiery coach who has effectively used his temper for the good of the team in the past. It wasn’t good enough Monday night.
Clock Management
Late in the second quarter, the Ravens were leading 10-7 and trying to make a goal line stand. After the defense stops Chris Johnson on first down, there is 1:50 remaining in the half. The Ravens have two timeouts. Harbaugh needs to use one right then. No hesitation. Call it. Reward the defense for the stop and show the offense that we expect them to get points to close the half.
Instead, no timeout and the Cardinals snap their next play (incomplete pass) at 1:10 instead of 1:50. They score a touchdown on the following play leaving 1:01 on the clock. That is a 40 second mistake. For the Ravens offense operating at the end of the half, 40 seconds is an eternity.
The fact that the offense thereafter went three-and-out is completely irrelevant. It was the wrong decision. If things go south on offense, the Cardinals have just one timeout and you have one of the best punters in the league.
Shortsighted challenges, wasted timeouts, unpreparedness for the 2-minute drill, and general clock management failures have doomed this team in recent weeks. For a head coach with no play-calling duties, the lack of forward thinking and the frequency of such mistakes are completely inexcusable.
Penalties
The Ravens are a highly penalized team: 7th worst in the league with 54 accepted penalties. Monday night saw Tray Walker throw an illegal block on a punt that was fair caught…an extremely difficult feat. Asa Jackson also got called for unnecessary roughness away from the ball. That call was a bit harsh, but the lack of discipline is palpable. I know this roster is young, but that is not Ravens football.
Conclusion
In a league where the margin of victory is infinitesimal, everything—every last detail—is crucial. The Harbaugh-led Ravens usually square away those minute details and don’t beat themselves, and that is plainly not the case in 2015.
Too often we rigidly categorize coaches as good or bad at their profession. We paint with a broad brush and make conclusions that are rarely swayed over time. Instead, we should evaluate, praise, and criticize coaches on a game-to-game and season-to-season basis, just like we do players. John Harbaugh is a very good coach, but he is having a very poor season.
