ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears, who played for Baltimore in 2013, says Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has “mastered” hitting the right notes as a culture builder and has evolved in a way that allows him to still connect with players, even in his 16th year as a head coach.
Harbaugh is 160-99 in the regular season since taking over Ravens head coach in 2008. He is now preparing for the fourth AFC championship game of his career as part of his quest for a second Super Bowl championship.
Spears was in town for ESPN’s coverage of the Ravens-Texans divisional round matchup and caught up with Harbaugh prior to the game. Spears played for several highly respected coaches throughout his college and pro career in Nick Saban, Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips and Harbaugh.
All of them have something in common, according to the former defensive end.
“The one common denominator is the ability to be able to communicate with your guys and have them ready to play and the true belief that what were are doing is to put you in the best possible situation as an individual but also the best possible situation as a team,” Spears said on Glenn Clark Radio Jan. 23. “If you start from there, you’ll at least have guys that are willing to run through a wall for you, the cliché terms that we use.”
In order to maintain that ability for a long time, coaches must be able to evolve and understand the athletes coming through the draft today, according to Spears. That’s where Harbaugh excels, he explained, as evidenced by Harbaugh’s longstanding belief in Lamar Jackson as a high-level quarterback.
Now, Harbaugh has Jackson to help carry his message through the facility in Owings Mills.
“John has figured out a way to connect with these guys,” Spears said. “He’s figured out a way not only to connect with them but to be able to coach them and coach them hard and make sure that they are prepared and have a good understanding of what he’s trying to get accomplished with his team. I think it’s tremendous.”
After Harbaugh took over the Ravens in 2008, he developed a reputation as a demanding, hard-nosed coach who butted heads with some of the team’s veterans, but since then he has earned a reputation as a players’ coach who connects with the entire roster. Prior to the 2023 season, veteran receiver Odell Beckham Jr. told Harbaugh that he runs a “world-class operation.”
Harbaugh is also not afraid to let his players have some fun — and join the party, too.
“They’re having fun. Now, everybody’s going to say, ‘Well, when you’re winning, you’re having fun.’ Well, that culture is set in training camp. That culture is set in the offseason. That culture is set by your coach,” Spears said. “Does he give you room to be who you are and enjoy when you are having success and not berate you or kill you when it’s not going well? I think it’s a fine line between that, man, and I think John has mastered that. I was around the guy. I believe in him wholeheartedly. I understand what type of dude he is.”
The seeds for the 2023 season were planted by Harbaugh right after the Ravens’ wild-card round loss to the Bengals to finish the 2022 season. The coach quietly remade his staff, moving Tee Martin to quarterbacks coach and hiring Greg Lewis (wide receivers), Chuck Smith (outside linebackers), Willie Taggart (running backs) and Dennard Wilson (defensive backs).
Those changes are seen by some as a big part of the Ravens’ success.
“Obviously you’ve got to have a really good understanding of the game and management and all of that. That’s the duty of the head coach,” Spears said. “But it also [relates to] people that you hire. Do you hire good people and put them in positions and then give them opportunities to lead in those areas that you put them in?”
But that ability to connect with players is still the most import thing, according to Spears.
“Can you get those guys ready to play with a real feeling like they have a chance to win every game that they play in? And even when they don’t, they believe in where you’re trying to go and where they’re trying to lead them,” Spears said. “To me, that’s been the [most important] trait that I’ve been fortunate enough to be around with head coaches that I’ve had.”
For more from Spears, listen to the full interview here:
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