The head coach of the Baltimore Ravens is fired as a result of a disagreement with…
According to reports, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was under pressure before Sunday’s game against the Steelers. The building’s exterior murmurs became more audible when Pittsburgh defeated Baltimore, 23–16.
Harbaugh responded to the report with a defiant air following his Sunday defeat.
After the game, Harbaugh remarked, “I haven’t seen that.” “I don’t know; I’ve never been concerned with maintaining employment. For me, it has always been about doing the work. My team consists of outstanding coaches and players who work extremely hard every day to perform to the best of their abilities.
“I’m really pleased with the way this team has been managed over the last 11 years and the last few weeks of the season.” Thus, regrets are nonexistent. I’ve never regretted coming here. We will continue to fight because that is what we do.
In their 22-year history, Baltimore has only had three head coaches: Harbaugh (2008–present), Brian Billick (1999–2007), and Ted Marchibroda (1996–1998). Among those three coaches, Harbaugh has been with the team for the longest (11 years), has the most victories (98), and has the best winning percentage (.580).
With a 54-26 record (.675 winning percentage) in his first five seasons as head coach, Harbaugh and the Ravens were incredibly effective. The Harbaugh-led Ravens were successful in their early iterations because of their strong veteran leadership group, which included Anquan Boldin, Matt Birk, Bernard Pollard, Ed Reed, and Ray Lewis.
The Ravens are 44-45 (.494) and have only advanced to the postseason once since 2013. Owner Steve Bisciotti stated he thought about firing Harbaugh after the season after the team faltered to a 9-7 record the previous year.
It appeared to be Harbaugh’s last chance to turn the ship around. It appeared as though the Ravens were providing Harbaugh with all the tools he needed to be successful this season with the addition of tight ends Hayden Hurst and Mark Andrews in the draft, along with offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., guard Bradley Bozeman, quarterback Lamar Jackson, and wide receiver trio Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead IV.
The offense is currently ranked 16th in total yards (3,299), 21st in passing touchdowns (13), 27th in rushing yards (834), and 16th in total points scored (213), so things haven’t gone as planned.
Marty Mornhinweg, Baltimore’s offensive coordinator, could be fired, as one option. During the Harbaugh era, the Ravens have a history of firing coordinators, starting with Cam Cameron in 2012. Then, Marc Trestman lost his job in 2016. After two years, Mornhinweg remained in his role as offensive coordinator, while Greg Roman served as the tight ends coach and assistant head coach.
In terms of total yards, Mornhinweg’s offense has finished with rankings of 17 and 27. Despite some improvement in yardage this season, the team has struggled to punch the ball into the end zone on occasion.
Roman was the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and the Buffalo Bills from 2015 to 2016, among other NFL teams. Roman would probably be the one to take over if Mornhinweg were to be relieved of his duties.
Roman managed an offense that scored 380 points in his debut season with the 49ers, good for 11th place in the NFL, but only managed 4,974 total yards, which was 26th best. The following season, the offense scored 397 points (ranked 11th), added 5,789 yards (ranked 11th), and qualified for the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick, a dual-threat quarterback.
By the same reasoning, the Ravens might see even more plays for Jackson if Roman is hired by Baltimore to take over as offensive coordinator. Roman watched as Kaepernick gradually became the starting quarterback and was successful for several seasons. Similar to Kaepernick, Jackson offers a different kind of playmaking that alters the current offensive scheme.
That being said, Joe Flacco is the starting quarterback right now. With 2,465 passing yards this season, he is eighth in the rankings, but with just 12 passing touchdowns, he is 19th. In red zone circumstances, Jackson offers Baltimore an alternative to run and pass, giving the offense more options.
The offensive line has undergone changes as well, primarily as a result of injuries. Given that Brown Jr. is at right tackle and has performed admirably there (58.9 rating by Pro Football Focus), Baltimore may decide to move to center and start the more muscular Bozeman over Matt Skura.
