John Harbaugh Receiving Too Much Blame?

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

I almost included Spears money in that post, but now we pissed away 1.6 mil on Huff, Spears money, David Reed money, add Leach's money and Boldin could suit up for us. Tell me with Boldin on 3rd down, chains are not moving,? As opposed to Leach?

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Yes, but is the coach the only one at fault for talent evaluation?? I'm sure that this team uses a process that involves several decision makers when it comes to talent evaluation/who to resign/who to cut decisions.

Ozzie had these guys here, Harbs let them go

[TwinRivers]

Harbaugh gets all the blame. He got a new contract giving him greater power to make personnel decisions and has decided to get rid of players who undermine his authority. Nothing wrong with that. Players who undermine the coach undermine the team and should be let go. Every great coach mentioned here has done that. Considering coaches like Weeb Ubank, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Bill Bellichick would have never let a player distract the team. This list can go on and on. Is Harbaugh a great coach? He'll never be if he allows distractions within the team.

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

Harbaugh gets all the blame. He got a new contract giving him greater power to make personnel decisions and has decided to get rid of players who undermine his authority. Nothing wrong with that. Players who undermine the coach undermine the team and should be let go. Every great coach mentioned here has done that. Considering coaches like Weeb Ubank, Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Bill Bellichick would have never let a player distract the team. This list can go on and on. Is Harbaugh a great coach? He'll never be if he allows distractions within the team.

I hear what you are saying, but every coach has to deal with above average players ( probowlers) or play makers who have themselves earned a certain swagger, unless we are talking about the Jaguars. Now these players have played in succesful schemes, and have had success. IMO that entitles an above average player to an opinion or a suggestion from time to time if the scheme or plays called are not working.

Phil Jackson had to deal with talent and egos all the time, but was able to make the most out of it. The weak way out is to just get rid of these above average players and replace them, and bring in robots.



The point here is the players and talent win the games with skill, if the plan is flawed is it the players fault? Should you treat them like they have not a brain or previous successful experience, or incorporate their thought into the overall plan?
There are ways of disciplining players without cutting them. In this case we are seeing the my way coaching fail.

[gabefergy]

Lol people still whining about Boldin? Get over it. He isn't that good anymore.

[Poes Crows]

Phil Jackson had to deal with talent and egos all the time, but was able to make the most out of it. The weak way out is to just get rid of these above average players and replace them, and bring in robots.



 

 

Well Put,

 

Phil Jackson won 12 Championships with 2 different teams.  The number of Ego's involved with those two teams was legendary.

 

You can work a little "Zen", "Politics" or "Psychology" on a team if you don't have a deep seated Insecurity Complex.

 

The Harboys are not in Jackson's League.

 

As someone else said, "The Captain goes down with his ship".

 

ICEBERG AHEAD!!!!!!

[izvoodoo]

Well Put,

 

Phil Jackson won 12 Championships with 2 different teams.  The number of Ego's involved with those two teams was legendary.

 

You can work a little "Zen", "Politics" or "Psychology" on a team if you don't have a deep seated Insecurity Complex.

 

The Harboys are not in Jackson's League.

 

As someone else said, "The Captain goes down with his ship".

 

ICEBERG AHEAD!!!!!!

To compare basketball coaching to football is pretty ridiculous.  It's a well known fact that the students run the classroom in the NBA.  Also, Anquin Boldin and Bernard Pollard weren't Kobe, Shaq or MJ.  

And the best teams USUALLY win the NBA title.

Just apples and Oranges, but I see people desperately trying to make a point to make up for the fact that we're not blocking very well.

[jazz1988]

I almost included Spears money in that post, but now we pissed away 1.6 mil on Huff, Spears money, David Reed money, add Leach's money and Boldin could suit up for us. Tell me with Boldin on 3rd down, chains are not moving,? As opposed to Leach?

 

Boldin did his job he help us win a super bowl now he's gone  and right now im fine with Marlon Brown and Tandon Doss slowly filling the void he left. Why are people consistently saying that Boldin was involved in the mutiny  there is no information out there that proves so and  it's so far pure speculation.

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

To compare basketball coaching to football is pretty ridiculous.  It's a well known fact that the students run the classroom in the NBA.  Also, Anquin Boldin and Bernard Pollard weren't Kobe, Shaq or MJ.  And the best teams USUALLY win the NBA title.Just apples and Oranges, but I see people desperately trying to make a point to make up for the fact that we're not blocking very well.

Boldin and Pollard weren't Kobi Shaq or MJ, but they weren't Huff, David Reed, Rolando McClain, or Spears either, yet we lost those guys PLUS THE VALUEABLE CAP MONEY we spent on the others. This was on Harbaughs watch, his decision.

[izvoodoo]

Boldin and Pollard weren't Kobi Shaq or MJ, but they weren't Huff, David Reed, Rolando McClain, or Spears either, yet we lost those guys PLUS THE VALUEABLE CAP MONEY we spent on the others. This was on Harbaughs watch, his decision.

What about Dumerville and Chris Canty?  Or Daryl Smith.

[ellicottraven]

Personally, I think Harbuagh has been receiving too much blame for the losses this year. It's easy to say that a bad call here or there can cost the team a win, but that ignores the fact that the team played for sixty minutes and there was more going on than just that one bad call. I personally think it's pretty ignorant to blame Harbaugh without looking at the game as a whole. 


What do you all think? Is Harbaugh to blame or is he receiving too much heat?

Harbaugh has it easy here in Baltimore. Anywhere else there would be much more noise for his performance as a coach, especially the one area he has responsibility for, game time decisions. Really poor performance so far.

[PurpleCityLights]

His Nepotism ways will be his downfall in Baltimore ...

[SeaHawk]

Ozzie had these guys here, Harbs let them go

 

I think that it's quite funny that people love to give all the praise to Ozzie, and all the blame to Harbs. Unless you're the Patriots, talent evaluation and signing/releasing players is not just on the coach's shoulders; it's a process that is conducted throughout the F.O., as well as with most all of the coaches. I also find it funny that people say "Ozzie has a plan" when we let players walk away, but we are quick to blame the coach, and say it's not Ozzie's fault, when letting go of the same player mentioned previously in this sentence is bad for us.

[Bump N Run]

No. When you onside kick the ball after you just scored with 9 minutes left, you deserve all the blame that comes your way. But I still like Harbaugh.

there was more than 12 min left in the 4th QTR when he decided to get our kicker almost killed and give the Steelers half the field when they couldn't move the ball.

[berad]

His Nepotism ways will be his downfall in Baltimore ...

 

Jim isn't coaching here

[OLD SCHOOL SMASH BALL]

What about Dumerville and Chris Canty?  Or Daryl Smith.

There was enough money to keep Boldin and Pollard still keeping these guys.

[gabefergy]

I see everyone is playing Captain Hindsight now. Newsflash, if Pitta doesn't get hurt none of this matters.

[Tank 92]

What exactly is he being blamed for?

[Grendelwulf21]

I see everyone is playing Captain Hindsight now. Newsflash, if Pitta doesn't get hurt none of this matters.

Ugh I miss Pitta a lot! He's pretty awesome, I still like watching that Bagels game where he drags those players with him for yards, I actually just watched it now

[Tank 92]

I see everyone is playing Captain Hindsight now. Newsflash, if Pitta doesn't get hurt none of this matters.

 

 

No question. He was the one loss for which they didn't have a plan.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

I see everyone is playing Captain Hindsight now. Newsflash, if Pitta doesn't get hurt none of this matters.

No! This isn't hindsight. We've been dealing with the same silly penalties, which result from a poorly disciplined team, for most of Harbaugh's tenure. The special teams have gotten worse under him and he doesn't accept criticism well from anybody - players or fans. His recent presser on "the real fans will stick with the team thru tough times" speaks volumes about his mindset. Does this mean that if you criticize his coaching philosophy you are not a "real" fan? Sorry, John, I've been a real Ravens fan since 1996 - long before you became one. Moreover, I've been a Baltimore fan since 1958.

 

I beg to differ with you on the significance of Pitta's injury. He was and is part of a two or three headed monster our coaching staff has created to play TE. Put Dickson, Bajema, Clark, Pitta and tackle eligible Wagoner altogether and it doesn't make one bona fide great TE. TEs with good hands are a dime a dozen. Gronks, Graham. Gonzalez and Gates, on the other hand, are beasts. Maybe that's the problem! None of our TEs' surnames starts with a G.

[izvoodoo]

There was enough money to keep Boldin and Pollard still keeping these guys.

Actually no, with restricted free agency and everything else really Those 3 guys would have put us over the cap.

[gabefergy]

No! This isn't hindsight. We've been dealing with the same silly penalties, which result from a poorly disciplined team, for most of Harbaugh's tenure. The special teams have gotten worse under him and he doesn't accept criticism well from anybody - players or fans. His recent presser on "the real fans will stick with the team thru tough times" speaks volumes about his mindset. Does this mean that if you criticize his coaching philosophy you are not a "real" fan? Sorry, John, I've been a real Ravens fan since 1996 - long before you became one. Moreover, I've been a Baltimore fan since 1958.

 

I beg to differ with you on the significance of Pitta's injury. He was and is part of a two or three headed monster our coaching staff has created to play TE. Put Dickson, Bajema, Clark, Pitta and tackle eligible Wagoner altogether and it doesn't make one bona fide great TE. TEs with good hands are a dime a dozen. Gronks, Graham. Gonzalez and Gates, on the other hand, are beasts. Maybe that's the problem! None of our TEs' surnames starts with a G.

Pitta is a lot better than you realize, so there's that. He isn't Gronk or Graham, but he was an extremely reliable receiving option who was a go to for Flacco. Losing him had severe ramifications to our offense, just like losing Gronk and Hernandez has hurt NE's offense.

 

I don't know why you have to take things so personal. Real fans do stick to their team through tough times. If you think that is addressed to you, than it speaks more to what your opinion is than anything else. But that is for you to decide. 

 

The truth of the matter is a lot of Ravens fans have a misplaced sense of entitilement and to make matters worse are not that educated when it comes to football. They whine and complain because the Ravens are 3-4 and search for scapegoats to take all the blame. Every single week there is a new person to throw under the bus: Ozzie, Harbs, Flacco, Ngata, Rice, the list goes on and on. This is from a fanbase that just won a SB!

 

The fact that we have made the playoffs for 5 straight years is remarkable and a testament to the hardwork and leadership stemming from the top of the organization, but as soon as things start to look a little ugly people are calling for Harbaugh to lose his job. He has admitted mistakes in the past and has done so this season. He isn't always right, no coaches are, but he makes every decision with the best intentions to help the team win. 

 

I'm sick of hearing so many whiny fans talk about the results of decisions that were made like they knew what they would be ahead of time. 

[The Raven]

What exactly is he being blamed for?

 

All he does is hire friends and worthless special teamers so he's a crap head coach.

[jdynamite]

The truth is John Harbaugh isn't receiving enough blame! He is a good head coach and good head coaches are a dime a baker's dozen. What we need is a great coach! One might ask, who would that be? Much has been made on our blog about the word "elite" as it applies to QBs. What about the Head Coaches? Who do you consider "elite"? I would include 5 in that category. They are Sean Peyton, Mike McCarthy, Andy Reid, Bill Belichek and Tom Coughlin. Following them there's a second tier of ten or so outstanding HCs, including Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh, Marvin Lewis, Chuck Pagano, Rex Ryan, Mike Shanahan, Marc Trestman, Mike Tomlin, Jason Garrett and Jeff Fisher. Conspicuously missing from my list of 15 head coaches are John Harbaugh, John Fox and Mike Smith. We can debate my list until Doom's Day (which I hope will come soon as in Elvis Dumerville) but what's the point? My point is that John is a good coach who may be one of the Top 16 coaches in the NFL right now. That would put him in good company in the top half of the class but would by no means put him in rare air. Some head coaches have been blessed with talented teams and some have inherited talented teams who went on to win a SB. For example, Jon Gruden inherited a talented team from Tony Dungy and won a SB the following year but I do not hear the phones ringing off the hook clamoring for his return to coaching. Similarly, John Harbaugh inherited a very talented team from Brian Billick. Editor's Note: Personally, I'd like to see what an offensive genius like Billick could do with an elite QB like Joe. To his credit, Harbaugh eventually won a SB but it took 5 years. Note, if you will, the commonality of the Head Coaches that I consider to be among the elite current head coaches in the league. With the exception of Andy Reid, they all have "elite" QBs all of whom have been bested by our own elite QB. By the way, the longest tenured coaches on the list of 15 coaches are Belichek and Lewis with 11 and 10 years, respectively, for the same team. So, the clock is ticking for John Harbaugh before his message grows old and weary like me.

Wow, Trestmen has an nfl pedigree but this is his first HC stint in nfl he ranks higher in 8 weeks of football???
Marvin Lewis - has had plenty of talent in Cincy now for years and can't win a playoff game.
Jason Garrett -really? As an OC he's ok.

While I completely understand the John Gruden analogy of taking Tony D team for a victory lets not forget that Gruden's Raiders were one tuck rule from the Super Bowl and then his same Raider team he left for (fired )Tampa made it to the superbowl also. So if Gruden can't get credit for Tampas Super Bowl roster ( dungy's guys) can he get some credit for raiders roster that also made it?? Two sides to that coin there!

I don't think you are giving John Harbaugh any credit man. This team hasn't accidentally made the playoffs consistently in spite of him. I could understand this frame of thinking if we performed like the Cowboys yearly having numerous pro Bowl players, the talented & potential labels throw at them yet underperforms to the point of mediocrity.

[jazz1988]

Boldin and Pollard weren't Kobi Shaq or MJ, but they weren't Huff, David Reed, Rolando McClain, or Spears either, yet we lost those guys PLUS THE VALUEABLE CAP MONEY we spent on the others. This was on Harbaughs watch, his decision.

 

I'll take the upside of Marlon Brown and Tandon Doss over a aging Boldin anyday  also James Ihedigbo is a upgrade over Pollard atleast in coverage. I know Boldin is good player and He's  having a good season so far but it was time to move on and even if he would had stayed it's not like we wouldn't have been saying good bye to him next season.

 

Boldin and Pollard were  bought in to help the ravens towards their mission to reach the super bowl and win; Well they did there job and  now it's time for the new generation to do theirs also it definately time for the ravens fans to get over the past because Boldin, Reed, Lewis,and Pilard are not coming back.

[PurpleCityLights]

I see everyone is playing Captain Hindsight now. Newsflash, if Pitta doesn't get hurt none of this matters.

Didn't know Pitta played on the O-line cause thats where the real problems are at...

[gabefergy]

Didn't know Pitta played on the O-line cause thats where the real problems are at...

That's true, but he is a major loss and it has affected the team in a lot of ways.

I do agree that the OL has been the biggest problem at this point but how exactly does that fall on Harbaugh?

[TwinRivers]

I hear what you are saying, but every coach has to deal with above average players ( probowlers) or play makers who have themselves earned a certain swagger, unless we are talking about the Jaguars. Now these players have played in succesful schemes, and have had success. IMO that entitles an above average player to an opinion or a suggestion from time to time if the scheme or plays called are not working.

Phil Jackson had to deal with talent and egos all the time, but was able to make the most out of it. The weak way out is to just get rid of these above average players and replace them, and bring in robots.



The point here is the players and talent win the games with skill, if the plan is flawed is it the players fault? Should you treat them like they have not a brain or previous successful experience, or incorporate their thought into the overall plan?
There are ways of disciplining players without cutting them. In this case we are seeing the my way coaching fail.

What robots are you talking about? Every respectable offensive player on the team has called for changes that have been made. Namely Flacco and Rice. Jacoby even danced with the star for cryn out loud. He's still in because he minds his business and does his job. There has been key injuries to the offensive line and one, Bryant Mckinnie who I thought highly of as a pass blocker, can not run block. He never could. Some guys just didn't fit the scheme and had to be replaced. Those that couldn't cut it were released. This is a very dynamic coaching staff and administration who is not afraid to make changes to improve things. guys are getting healthy and we will get even better when Asa Jackson returns from suspension. Dallas Clarke is jelling with Flacco along with other younger receivers.

 Man. Get a grip.

[frozen joe flacco fan]

Pitta is a lot better than you realize, so there's that. He isn't Gronk or Graham, but he was an extremely reliable receiving option who was a go to for Flacco. Losing him had severe ramifications to our offense, just like losing Gronk and Hernandez has hurt NE's offense.

 

I don't know why you have to take things so personal. Real fans do stick to their team through tough times. If you think that is addressed to you, than it speaks more to what your opinion is than anything else. But that is for you to decide. 

 

The truth of the matter is a lot of Ravens fans have a misplaced sense of entitilement and to make matters worse are not that educated when it comes to football. They whine and complain because the Ravens are 3-4 and search for scapegoats to take all the blame. Every single week there is a new person to throw under the bus: Ozzie, Harbs, Flacco, Ngata, Rice, the list goes on and on. This is from a fanbase that just won a SB!

 

The fact that we have made the playoffs for 5 straight years is remarkable and a testament to the hardwork and leadership stemming from the top of the organization, but as soon as things start to look a little ugly people are calling for Harbaugh to lose his job. He has admitted mistakes in the past and has done so this season. He isn't always right, no coaches are, but he makes every decision with the best intentions to help the team win. 

 

I'm sick of hearing so many whiny fans talk about the results of decisions that were made like they knew what they would be ahead of time. 

Get used to it son! You'll hear a lot more whining before its all over.  Of the Baltimore TEs I mentioned only one may be a future HOFer. That would be Dallas Clark. Pitta's OK but not a gamechanger.