Wintery Weather Delays Ravens’ Scouts, But Coaches’ Work Will Begin Immediately
Harbaugh said some of Baltimore’s scouts had their flights cancelled by inclement weather, trying to make their way to Kansas City for Saturday night’s Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game. That game could be one of the coldest in league history, with the forecast calling for temperatures ranging from -8 to -10, with the wind chill making it feel even colder.
Harbaugh couldn’t resist getting in a dig when talking about advance scouting, which became a sensitive issue for his brother, Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh, who led the Wolverines to the national championship.
“It’s going to be very interesting,” Harbaugh said. “We have some scouts whose flights have been canceled going out there who were trying to get out there to scout the game, which is legal in pro football, by the way.”
Harbaugh said the Ravens’ coaches will start scouting their potential next opponent after Saturday’s Texans-Browns game, which kicks off at 4:30 p.m. They could face the winner of that game in the divisional playoffs.
If the No. 6-seeded Dolphins win on Saturday night, Ravens coaches will immediately flip to working on them. If the No. 7-seeded Steelers win on Sunday, Baltimore will reverse course again to begin working on them immediately.
“The good thing for us is the opponent that could come into the picture on Sunday is one that we’ve played very recently [the Steelers]. It’s helpful the way it worked out for us,” Harbaugh said.
Dennard Wilson Has Interviewed for Giants Defensive Coordinator Job
Harbaugh confirmed that Defensive Backs Coach Dennard Wilson interviewed with the Giants for their vacant defensive coordinator position. The Giants parted ways with former Ravens Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale earlier this week.
Wilson joined the Ravens’ staff this season after two years with the Eagles. Several members of Baltimore’s secondary have enjoyed career years, including first-team All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, cornerback Brandon Stephens and safety Geno Stone, who led the AFC with seven interceptions.
After his playing career at Maryland, the 41-year-old began his coaching career in 2012 with the Rams and has also been a defensive backs coach with the Jets.
Harbaugh Reflects on Being NFL’s Second Longest-Tenured Coach
In his 16th season with the Ravens, Harbaugh has the second-longest tenure of any active NFL coach, one year behind Mike Tomlin of the Steelers.
This has been a week of iconic coaches leaving the game: Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the Patriots ended on Thursday, the Seahawks decided not to bring back Pete Carroll as head coach, and Nick Saban stepped down as Alabama’s head coach.
Harbaugh reflected on the changing landscape of his profession.
“I’m the second-most tenured and the second oldest,” said Harbaugh, who is 61.
“I can remember coming up as a young special teams coach in this league and the old guard – the Scott O’Briens, the Pete Rodriguez, the Brad Seelys, the Wayne Seviers – those guys who take you under their wing and treat you with respect, and they kind of show you the ropes. How much those guys mean to you, and some of them have passed on or are out of football now.
“Now some of the head coaches are moving on to the next thing. You feel so appreciative of what they gave to you as a coach and what they gave to the game. These are iconic coaches, nothing but respect and admiration for those guys and what they’ve accomplished – the opportunity to compete and to take teams against those guys is something that I’ll always cherish and remember for as long as I live. Those guys are great coaches. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw them back though, so we’ll see what happens.”
