[News] Why Football Matters, By John Harbaugh

[BR News]

Football is under attack, but the game and the values it instills in young men are critical to our society.

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[Moderator 3]

Fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to write this and have it posted.

[RavensAllDay1987]

I've Played football from Pee Wee up to my 4 years of High School and the bond and relationships I've built with my teammates and coaches cannot be quantified. Im 28 now and still carry great relationships with many of my former teammates and coaches, I do agree there are a lot of coaches out there not teaching the proper fundamentals and heads up tackling, but I've always been taught you cant hit what you cant see, head and eyes up at all time and lead with you shoulder, If the youth league coaches focused more on that I think it would make for much less injuries, But lets face it Football is Football and sometimes injuries are going to happen.

[budman]

Poetic. Very well said.

[RavensReck27]

John Harbaugh is a great coach, not because of his career record or football intelligence, but because of his heart. He is a gentle soul, and he genuinely cares for his players/coaches. That is why it is so hard for him to let go of players/coaches who are struggling (Cam Cameron). The players notice this, and that is why we are one of the hardest playing teams, especially in the playoffs. To be a good unit, one must believe in their leader, and this team would die for John. Go Ravens. Go John.

Edited April 23, 2015 by RavensReck27

[Krabcake]

Very well done. I'm proud to call Harbs the football coach for this city.

[NorthDakotaRaven]

I would run through a wall for Coach!

Great essay Harbs!

[A Fish Called Yanda]

John Harbaugh is the best coach we've ever had, and I'm sure will continue to be one of the best coaches in the NFL.  I don't believe there is anyone else out there that both understands the game as well as he does and has an innate ability to connect with the players on a personal level.  You saw it at the Pro Bowl last year, you see it in training camp videos, in press conferences - every time Harbaugh interacts with a player, he is trying to help them learn, whether its through a story or via direct communication. 

 

Harbs is obviously a ridiculously smart guy, you can tell from the language he uses.  When you have a very intelligent coach, it often seems to create somewhat of a barrier between them and the players - they speak using different words, concepts can be hard to convey etc.  But Harbs has the gift of being able to take a complex message and put it into words that anyone can understand.

 

Sometimes I think I'd give up Harbs as a coach in order to make him the Commissioner - I think he'd do a stellar job there, and much better than the current guy.  But then I think of losing him as a coach and cannot bear that thought.  Bisciotti made a phenomenal decision when bringing John in to be our HC - he took a risk and its paid dividends over and over again.

 

So happy to have John as the Ravens HC - there is literally no one else that can fill his shoes.

Edited April 22, 2015 by A Fish Called Yanda

[berad]

Even watching/consuming football - would your lives be different if there were no Baltimore Ravens?

 

The 2012 Super Bowl run with its seemingly endless storylines, the excitement in the city and among the fanbase? The parade, oh man, the whole state turned out. I got emotional when they won the game, when I saw Ray Lewis do his dance at the parade ceremonies, I'll admit it - it meant something to me.

 

What would you do on Sunday afternoons in the Fall/Winter? Would a sizeable chunk of your wardrobe and/or interior decorations be gone? Mine would, looks like I'd be needing a new favorite hoodie.

 

Off-the-field events, like OJ's ALS 5.7k run, the various generous charitable donations that the players and team give to the city and fans would be diminished. I know those things are appreciated by those impacted.

 

The Ravens have been good to the city and good to me, personally - even if somewhat indirectly. I might not play but I'll watch every game, memorize a dozen players who only have a remote shot at the roster in August, and watch 3 hours of the draft next week only for Ozzie to trade out until the next day lol. There are parallels to everyday life, things you can learn, inspiration you can glean... a team you can support and group you can be a part of. Football matters.

[TorryGundy]

This is why YOU matter to US coach!

[bnyce52]

Proud to call it America's game.

[HawkDvr]

Well put Coach Harbs, I couldn't have said it better myself.

[RavensReck27]

I love our head coach, I like our new offensive coordinator (I need to see him official operate before I can love him), I LOVE our GM, I love our owner, but…. I don't love our defensive coordinator. I think Pees is a good guy, but he is only a decent coach. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that really interacts with players and fires them up. He calls a good defensive game, but not great, and he calls plays from the booth. There seems to be no x-factor with Pees. Rex Ryan and Chuck Pagano were both loved by their players and had good relationships with them, plus they were very aggressive play callers, which I loved. Pees seems pretty average in those departments, to me at least. He is not a bad coach, and he does not deserve to get fired, but he is the only coach/management piece of our organization that I wish we could upgrade.

[RavensReck27]

We had probably the best secondary coach in the league with Teryl Austin. He left with Caldwell to be his defensive coordinator, and did a phenomenal job. I always thought losing him was a big factor in Elam declining last season. We had Steve Spagnuolo as our secondary coach last season, and the Giants signed him to be their defensive coordinator. I hope the guy that we promoted to secondary coach is a winner, because that would be crucial with the reviving of our secondary for this season.

[Swagger]

Our way of life is under attack...I can't wait for 2016

[vinnystp]

Great article Coach! Not only are you a great coach, and can lead our team to win games, which is what we all love. Let's be honest, who doesn't love winning? Steve and Ozzie do too!

But more important than wins, John is a great man, teacher, and role model. Take the game beyond the X's and O's, and the W's and L's. John is someone I want my kids to look up to, and see as a role model for the future of Football, and Baltimore.

Football matters, as stated by John for various reasons of teaching young men how teamwork is more important than the individual accolades. John coaches like a Raven! #RavensNation

[Dorota]

Football is a dangerous sport. No denying that. If you play it, probability is, that sooner or later you do get injured...

I can't speak for others, but what it gives me is a sense of community, when I was an expat and the "strange one" for the majority of my life. We play together, we trust each other, we push each other to greatness. I've been raised to know that I am accountable for any actions I do and any words I let escape my mouth. Therefore, I don't go into conflicts, I bite my tongue even when I am angry. But that does not mean that I am mellow and it often leads to accumulation of frustration. If I vent it out, it will be hurtful, it can damage people. Football is a great release of all my frustrations, of thinking of bills I have to pay and stuff I have to do and other people's expectations. I can vent and do something constructive, be part of something beautiful at the same time.

I get to hit people and the harder I do so, the more praise I get. I get to tell people what to do (as a middle/inside linebacker) - it's my privilege and my responsibility. I get help from my coaches and attention from senior players, always helping me to get better. I get to experience moments when I can't and discover that I CAN!

And I get to win and to share my joy over that with a whole crowd of other people and they share it with me.

Football is a team sport and that pushes me to be my best self, because my success is my team's success. It makes me want to share what I have learned with the rookies, because their success is my success. And it's a great sport to teach me trust as well. I have to trust my team mates. There is no football without trust. I cannot cover my zone, my player in man-to-man, if I don't trust the people around me and run off in all sorts of directions.

And last of all, especially in America, football is an opportunity for those, who were born less privileged, who have struggled in life, lived barely off the streets to hone their talent, hustle and improve their situation drastically. In America, being a good athlete can get you places, where you might not get otherwise.

[drillem]

Football is too mean a game to be played any longer. Too much mayhem. Injuries. Upset moms don't need to see their youngun's getting torn up:) Not!!!!!!! Luv to see carnage and helmets flying. One of my few pleasures.

[reed20fence]

Bread and games. Western civilization has always needed the mob to have its colesium and gladiators. We may have temporarily softened to the point where we don't stomach people gutting each other or lions ripping fellow human beings apart for our amusement, but rest assured, the seeds of Rome are still very much in all our psyches.

[ravgo52]

Thank You Coach! I pray your time with the Ravens be long and prosperous!

[Minionhunter]

reed20fence I knew you got it, I didn't really know but I knew based on your collective posts, your post here nails it.

[Ugly Ball]

My two young sons play football. Their Mom got them into it, and is the commissioner of their league. The youngest started when he was 6 and swears he will be a Raven one day! I think between football and wrestling, these experiences have been something they will carry with them the rest of their lives. Not only for the fun they have had playing with and meeting new friends, but learning life lessons and being part of something bigger than them.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Ugly Ball

[ellicottraven]

Well said. You are a good representative of football John Harbaugh. Very proud you are the HC of the Baltimore Ravens.

[raven410]

John, you're already a Hall of Fame coach in my eyes. More importantly, you're a great leader, and a great man. Please continue to keep doing what you're doing, and let's continue to build the dynasty in Baltimore. Just as you planned from the day Mr. Bisciotti hired you. You're the city of Baltimore's coach for life!

[RavensAllDay1987]

Harbs is the man, and RavensNation is lucky to have him, Here is to Many Many more years of success in Baltimore, and a few more Lombardi Trophies that will be coming back to the Castle.

[Ravens07]

So thankful this man is our coach.

[Edwin Miller]

Well done John,well done.

Ed

[PsychoRaven52]

As player who ended his career in High School. As fatherless young man owes everything to his coaches growing up... who knows where I'd have ended up or if I'd still even be here if it wasn't for football... As man who has spent years giving back to youth football, as a coach, for what it's done for me. Every single word of this post rings true to the core of my existence.

Just when I thought Harbaugh couldn't get any more amazing in my books, he writes this. Love this guy. This team. This game.

[January J]

This guy gets it. Harbaugh is the definition of what an NFL coach should be. Would love to go to war for this guy. Him and his brother are both class acts, can't wait for him to bring a few more Lombardis to baltimore. I hope he continues coaching here for as long as he is physically able - no-one else I would rather have hands down. Thank you john for writing this and for everything you have done. Keep doin what you do- the rest will take care of itself.

[Machineman]

Bravo sir!