Two veteran Baltimore Ravens players recently took obvious swipes at former head coach John Harbaugh, now with the New York Giants, while praising first-year coach Jesse Minter.
Wide receiver Rashod Bateman and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley never mentioned Harbaugh by name, but ti was clear they believe more in what they are getting Minter and his coach staff than what got from Harbaugh.
“From head coach to OC to receivers coach, everybody really harps on the details and the small things, and that’s
just not what we were in our past,” Bateman said. “I think, right now, we’re learning how to play fast, smart football. Trusting the training, trusting the call, trusting our teammates. That’s the difference right now, honestly.”
Bateman described the Ravens’ coaching staff as very “communicative, talkative and informative,” and “that’s what we never had here.”
Stanley agreed, adding that Minter “just values details and the finer details a little bit more. I think that is something that is very much harped on, and he is also a very positive overall guy. He realizes we are chasing perfection, but that is something that is going to come with a lot of bad plays (and) bad days, and he is aware of that.”
Really?
Perhaps this is simply an example of how a message, no matter how well delivered, can simply grow stale after 18 years.
Several former Ravens — fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Isaiah Likely, defensive back Ar’Darius Washington, punter Jordan Stout, defensive tackle Josh Tupou — followed Harbaugh from Baltimore.
Ricard’s admiration for Harbaugh was obvious when he was introduced to media after signing with the Giants.
“I’m just very grateful for Coach Harbaugh,” Ricard said. “I mean, he’s been in my corner my whole career. He’s believed in me. And as soon as I saw he got the job here, I was definitely interested. I even told him, like, look, if you were coaching a Pop Warner football team, I’m interested. I’m there doing something. I don’t even know if I’m like the water boy, you know what I’m saying?”
The Giants, who have practiced as long and hard as the rules allow since the spring, would probably beg to differ on the idea that Harbaugh doesn’t communicate or harp on the details and the smaller things.
After Thursday’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins in the intense Florida heat, Giants edge defender Brian Burns said the way the Giants have practiced allowed them to hold up in the searingly hot conditions.
“I ain’t gonna lie, if we didn’t practice as hard as we do, I don’t know if we would have made it through this heat,” Burns said. “And the level of competition that we practiced with today. But I feel like us practicing as hard as we do, definitely prepared us for all of this.”
From what media has been able to see, Harbaugh is a stickler for the details and the smaller things. Players have also praised his openness, messaging, and communication skills. Remember Kayvon Thibodeaux calling Harbaugh “a maniac”?
“Coach Harbaugh – I think he’s a maniac, he’s obsessed. I love it,” Thibodeaux said. “He’s so great at explaining things that of course he looks at a guy like me like how could you ask so many questions, you know. But we always talk about like someone who questions, it’s not like they’re challenging, we just want to make sure we have the best understanding of how to execute at the highest level. I think, man, this is the best I’ve felt coming into a new year.”
Maybe the simple reality is that, at least for some players who had been around Harbaugh for a long time, change was the best thing. Maybe for Harbaugh, as well.
