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John Harbaugh is one of the great coaches of this era or any other. He will have a bust in Canton; he has already earned it. And his 2012 Super Bowl victory could be joined in time by others, be it with the Ravens or (if ever the Ravens are stupid enough to let him slip away) another team.
That doesn’t put it above criticism or scrutiny, however. And it’s fair to criticize the decision to put his own players (and Denver’s players) in unnecessary danger in the final snap of Sunday’s game against the Broncos, all in the name of extending a meaningless record. that few even knew about before Sunday’s antics.
The Ravens now have 43 straight games with 100 or more rushing yards per team. That fits the Steelers of 1974-77, who did so in a much more running age than passing. And to that we (and surely many others) say, “Whoop-dee-freaking-doo. “
It’s totally theirs with the franchise’s all-time preseason winning streak. We do not care? Harbaugh does, for some reason.
Of course, the reason he cares is one of the reasons he’s awesome. He is ultra-competitive. And the willingness to rack up things that matter (like winning games that matter) can force a person to pursue things that don’t matter. Like an obscure record that no one – except Harbaugh – cares about.
Watch the video of the Denver sideline reaction. Listen to the beeps. Broncos coach Vic Fangio was pissed off. And rightly so. The game was over. Take a knee. Go away. Avoid unnecessary contact. Unnecessary contact results in preventable injury.
It’s a bit similar to former Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano’s much-criticized tendency to aggressively attack the winning lineup. In these situations, however, there was a strategy embedded in the attempt to win the game. If Schiano’s team had forced a fumble by plowing hard in the line / quarterback, they could have won the game. Sunday, the Ravens had already won the game.
Indeed, as ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley noted, the Ravens have become one of the few franchises in the NFL to gain traction while leading by 10 points or more and smacking the ball within five. last seconds of a match. Via Hensley, the Elias Athletic Office found a game in 1992, when Oilers defenseman Spencer Tillman won a yard with two seconds left in a game Houston was leading, 27-0, against the Chargers. Otherwise, that sort of thing doesn’t happen. And for good reason, especially at a time of unprecedented sensitivity to health and safety.
Harbaugh nonetheless defended the decision not to drop a knee for the only play that followed an interception by Broncos quarterback Drew Lock in the end zone, with Baltimore in the lead, 23-7.
“It’s one of those things that makes sense,” Harbaugh said. “It’s a very, very difficult record to achieve. It’s a long-term record. So I’m not going to say it’s more important than winning the game, that’s for sure. This is certainly not the case. But, as a head coach, I think you do this for your players and you do it for your coaches, and it’s something they will have for the rest of their lives.
But what do they have? A trophy ? A ring? Something tangible? When they’re in their rocking chairs, are they going to mumble to whoever listens to them that they tied the 1974-77 Steelers with 43 straight games from 100 yards or more? If they do, will anyone do anything but roll their eyes and say, “He’s got his good days and his bad days”?
Nobody cares. No one except Harbaugh. Damn, Lamar Jackson – who won the footage that put the Ravens over 100 for the game and in doing so put himself at risk of unnecessary injury while still not having his well-deserved second contract – doesn’t care.
“I’m not going to lie,” Jackson said after the game. “I don’t really care about the case. I didn’t think about that. I thought I would win the game.
The game was already won. The next few games were put in danger by Jackson throwing the ball one last time. All because ultra-competitive Harbaugh wanted to add another meaningless plaque to the wall, right next to the one commemorating the all-time record winning streak in meaningless games.
Again, this competitive nature is what makes him great. It would be even a little taller if he realized when to turn it off.
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