John Harbaugh was not a sexy pick or the No. 1 choice of the Ravens, but he was in their top 6, so I have no problem with him being selected the team's new head coach.
We only had brief exposure to Harbaugh at a news conference Saturday, but he seemed like a decent, humble, family man with a strong football pedigree.
According to several other NFL special teams coaches, Harbaugh was one of the most respected special teams coaches in the league.
So why was he a special teams coach in Philly for nine years?
Because he was that good. His units produced points, and no one wanted to move him from one of the strongest areas on the team.
The word is that Harbaugh is extremely organized and detailed. He is regarded as being tough but fair, and that's the reason players like playing for him. You could feel the energy and enthusiasm coming off Harbaugh at the news conference.
I know he doesn't have any previous head coaching experience, but he has to start somewhere, just like Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh and Don Shula. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti said this was a gut decision on his part, and that's fine. Regardless of the outcome with Harbaugh, this team needed to make a change.
Harbaugh seems like he would be open to communication from others on the staff, and because of his inexperience, I think general manager Ozzie Newsome will be more hands-on early in Harbaugh's tenure.
Newsome was careful in crossing over the line with former head coach Brian Billick, but Billick brought more to the table than Harbaugh. Billick had a presence about him that Harbaugh doesn't have yet.
That is definitely a concern about Harbaugh and it raises the question of whether he can handle the Ravens' locker room, loaded with a lot of outspoken players like Ray Lewis, Derrick Mason, Chris McAlister, Ed Reed and Jonathan Ogden.
If the Ravens had hired a proven coach like Marty Schottenheimer that wouldn't be an issue, because Schottenheimer's personality would have been bigger than any of the players'.
But it will be interesting to see how Harbaugh handles the situation. Lewis will be a major concern because of his friendship with Bisciotti. It was strange how the owner defended Lewis' team leadership Saturday when no one really asked him.
He kept talking about Lewis later on the radio (by the way, thanks for the plug, Stevie, and those cute little comments from some of the broadcasting shills). Bisciotti seems to have an infatuation with Lewis, and that's scaring a number of top officials over at the Castle.
That's another concern. There is fallout among members of the front office staff. It's not unusual, especially with all the decisions the Ravens have had to make in the last month.
But some members of the front office staff, including those in Bisciotti's inner circle, wanted to know how Lewis knew that Billick was going to be fired before they did. They don't understand the pecking order from Bisciotti on down anymore.
Hopefully, the Ravens will get back on the same page soon.
But overall, the hiring of Harbaugh was a decent selection. No one knows how this is going to pan out. Fans in Pittsburgh weren't jumping up and down when Mike Tomlin was named head coach before the start of last season.
But a change was needed and the Ravens at least got a coach that was on their priority list.
- Mike Preston
