Paid Advertisement

Harbaugh in "middle of the pack" of NFL head coaches?

8

Paid Advertisement

Podcast Audio Vault

8
8

Paid Advertisement

Despite being the only head coach in the NFL to lead his team to the postseason and win at least one playoff game in each of the last four seasons, John Harbaugh apparently isn’t getting much love from at least one national pundit.
Ranking the 32 head coaches, NFL.com writer and regular WNST.net guest Gregg Rosenthal says Harbaugh ranks in the “middle of the pack” while listing 10 other coaches in higher categories in a tier-based ranking system. Rosenthal explains that the Ravens coach “inherited a great situation” while placing him in the same category as Mike Smith, Jeff Fisher, Gary Kubiak, Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Pete Carroll, and Ken Whisenhunt.
What’s sure to ruffle the feathers of many Ravens fans is Rosenthal ranking former Ravens defensive coordinator and Jets head coach Rex Ryan as well as new Raiders head coach Dennis Allen — without a win as a head coach in his entire coaching career — ahead of Harbaugh. To make the discussion even more interesting, Rosenthal ranks brother Jim as one of three head coaches in the “top shelf” elite category after one season in which he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game.
Though I’d hesitate to rank any head coach — including Harbaugh — without a Super Bowl victory in the elite category, to suggest he’s only a middle-of-the-pack head coach discredits what he’s been able to accomplish in his first four years. As for the proclamation that Harbaugh walked into an opportune position, I’ll remind him that while he did benefit from working under one of the best front offices in the league and having an elite defense, he was also inheriting a 5-11 team with a problematic locker room that contributed to the dismissal of the previous head coach and a broken offense that did not have a quarterback.
I rarely have a strong opinion about any rankings list where subjectivity reigns supreme, but to say Harbaugh only falls in the middle of the pack is a sizable slight.
 

Share the Post:
8

Paid Advertisement

Right Now in Baltimore

Any list of questions for Bisciotti should begin with Tucker – and anything else we've missed since Lamar was drafted

Any list of questions for Bisciotti should begin with Tucker – and anything else we've missed since Lamar was drafted

Do you have your own "Dear Steve Bisciotti" list of questions? We do. And we will, as Luke Jones will be in The Castle on Tuesday afternoon as the Baltimore Ravens owner and general manager Eric DeCosta will address (some of) the local media and take some questions about the search for a new coach after the firing of John Harbaugh this week. Plenty of depth here about the culture of the building in Owings Mills and the future leadership of the football operation.
Bloom: Adding Alonso brings credibility and playoff push power for Orioles

Bloom: Adding Alonso brings credibility and playoff push power for Orioles

Longtime MLB insider and baseball author Barry Bloom joins Nestor with an offseason primer with Nestor in discussing payrolls, 50 years of labor beefs and what the Orioles new ownership has done to wash away the ghost of Angelos by signing Pete Alonso to a big contract this winter restoring some hope in Baltimore. Now, about the pitching...
The changing games through the years and betting on the future

The changing games through the years and betting on the future

After the Ravens' sudden elimination and the end of another season, we all need the comfort of old friends. It's a bit of 'Friends and Family' week as Nestor welcomes longtime media cohort and two-decade WNST hockey insider Ed Frankovic back for a 2026 sports reset as Ovechkin remains on the ice, the Ravens search for a head coach and the Orioles try to get baseball fans like us back to Camden Yards. Oh, and "Why does Nestor deserve a press pass?"
8
8
8

Paid Advertisement

Scroll to Top
Verified by MonsterInsights