It’s pretty decent company.
Bill Belichick, Tom Landry, Andy Reid, Don Shula, Joe Gibbs, Chuck Noll, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll, Mike McCarthy, Bud Grant, Tony Dungy, Mike Tomlin, Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer, Paul Brown, Steve Owen and John Harbaugh.
They’re not just people who have never been in your kitchen. That is also the entire group of NFL coaches to have ever led teams to at least 10 playoff appearances during their careers. Look over it again. It’s a who’s who of the history of the profession.
After the Ravens clinched a return to the postseason this weekend, Harbaugh has now reached the playoffs 10 times in 15 seasons, or 66.7 percent of the years he’s been a head coach. Here’s more significant perspective on how remarkable this is: Among the coaches who have made 10 playoff trips, only Belichick, Reid, Holmgren and Dungy made it more consistently.
(Full disclosure: both Carroll and Tomlin could pass that threshold if they can somehow still climb into the playoff picture this year. And both Cowher and McCarthy also happen to sit at exactly 66.7 percent. And yeah, I’m aware that this isn’t a perfect science because the number of playoff teams has changed throughout the years. But most of these names are from the modern era of football and can fairly be judged against each other. Anything else, Todd?)
Here’s a little more context. In all four major American professional sports leagues, the only coaches to have been with the same team for the last 15 years and to have made the playoffs at least 10 times are Harbaugh, Belichick, Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra (who is also in his 15th season).
It can also be said that of all NFL coaches to have ever made at least 10 playoff appearances with one team, only Belichick, Cowher and Harbaugh have made the playoffs at a 66.7 percent or better clip. I know that’s a mouthful, but it cuts to a cross-section of longevity and consistency that is spectacularly rare to reach. It doesn’t necessarily clinch Harbaugh’s place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (even if Cowher is already there and Belichick will be joining him), but at the moment it presents the strongest argument for his future induction.
I have acknowledged previously in this space that one of my least favorite “takes” Ravens fans have turned to in the past year is the “John Harbaugh has one playoff win since 2015” take. It’s brainless. Unlike the exercise we just went through above, it provides no context whatsoever. It is of course true, but the parameters are timed conveniently to present the most damning picture of futility while totally dismissing Harbaugh’s prior playoff success. It is the football version of selective outrage.
Which of course doesn’t mean that I think any of us should “simp” for the head coach, either. I’ve always been willing to have thoughtful conversations about bad in-game decisions and hiring mistakes. I thought his attempted explanation of the disastrous fourth-quarter play calling against the Browns was as weak as the decision to abandon the run itself. I also understand that since Greg Roman was going to remain as offensive coordinator, it would be more than a bit awkward to completely throw the man under the bus publicly. I can be both critical and practical simultaneously.
I most certainly don’t believe that Harbaugh’s tenure has been flawless by any imagination. But the success is indisputable.
Detractors once attempted to suggest that the coach simply won because he had Ray Lewis and Ed Reed on his team. Ironically, I usually believe that coaches are about as good as the players on their team. But Harbaugh’s success has transcended all players. With Sam Koch’s retirement after last season, no single player has been there for all of Harbaugh’s playoff appearances. The standard has also transcended coordinators in all three phases of the game and even general managers. (Which also, of course, does not mean that those folks haven’t all played integral roles in creating the standard.)
Whether you want to toast him from the end of the bar or not, John Harbaugh has been the standard.
Some of you are unmoved. That’s your prerogative. You don’t like the job Harbaugh has done in recent years and you believe the playoff win number provides you cover for your opinion. Whenever the Ravens’ season comes to a close, you’re rooting that Steve Bisciotti will decide that it’s time to blow everything up.
I’ll never understand the thought process. I’ll never understand the concept of completely tossing aside a successful standard in favor of the idea that “you never know, maybe someone else can do better!”
Whatever your opinion of John Harbaugh might be, you can’t dismiss the rarified air he’s now reached. Ten playoff trips in 15 seasons is a staggering feat. The accomplishment deserves appreciation and respect.
And then in a couple of weeks we can start yelling about the organization’s offensive philosophy again.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox